CAMP DIEGO SILANG, San Fernando City, La Union – One of the suspects in the Jan. 8, 2014 brutal killing and robbery of a lady employee of a pawnshop in Dagupan City, Pangasinan was nabbed yesterday in Barangay Ambonao, Calasiao, Pangasinan.
Senior Superintendent Francisco Esguerra, regional chief of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group 1, identified the suspect as Rolando Gonzales who allegedly killed and robbed Loreta Antonio, 61, and dumped her body at a cornfield in Barangay San Miguel, San Manuel, Tarlac.
Esguerra said that pieces of evidence, like the shoulder bag of the victim, ID and other personal belongings, were recovered from the suspect’s house during the implementation of search warrant by police and CIDG personnel in Pangasinan, thus, solidifying the cases that were already filed against him.
The raiding team also recovered from the suspect’s possession the ID of Michael Edades, an alleged CIDG asset, who was tagged as the principal suspect in the crime.
Investigation showed that Edades’ ID has blood stain along with a hand towel with hair strand.
Esguerra said that the victim’s employer Leandre Tan, reported at the Dagupan City police station on Jan. 7, 2015 that his messenger (the victim) went missing with an undetermined large amount of cash money owned by the pawnshop.
The following day, the victim’s body, allegedly riddled with gun and stabbed wounds, was found by spouses Winifredo and Juvy Panagsagan of San Miguel, San Manuel, Tarlac
Suspect is now under the custody of Pangasinan CIDG for the filing of robbery holdup and murder charges against him before the city prosecutor’s office.
By Dexter A. See
