Police chief declares Silawan case solved after arrest of second suspect

PNP Chief Director General Oscar Albayalde. Photo: George Calvelo/ABS-CBN News
PNP Chief Director General Oscar Albayalde. Photo: George Calvelo/ABS-CBN News

PNP chief Director General Oscar Albayalde today declared the Silawan murder case solved at a press conference in Camp Sergio Osmeña in Cebu City.

This, after members of the PNP arrested the second suspect Renato “Renren” Bayuban Llenes in Bohol on April 9.

However, Albayalde said that while the case is solved, it is not yet closed.

Albayalde came face-to-face with Llenes today when the suspect was presented to reporters during the press conference. The PNP chief said that the suspect confessed to the crime because he was “haunted by his conscience,” reported CNN Philippines.

Llenes told the media at the presser that he used a pair of scissors to kill Silawan, whom he allegedly stabbed multiple times in different parts of the body, Cebu Daily News reported. He also allegedly used the same scissors to peel the skin off the teenager’s face. He said that he did it so her corpse could not be identified.

According to the Philippine Star, the suspect said that he learned how to skin a person’s face from watching YouTube video tutorials.

The suspect also told reporters that he used a fake Facebook account where he introduced himself to Silawan using the name “C.J. Diaz,” Abante TNT reported. He allegedly posed as a teen and used the fake account to pursue a romantic relationship with Silawan.

Llenes said that Silawan eventually agreed to meet him on March 10 near the Sacred Heart Parish in Lapu-Lapu City where she worked. However, they allegedly had a fight when she learned that he was older than he said he was.

What allegedly drove Llenes to kill Silawan, however, was that she told him that she was no longer a virgin, Freeman reported.

Albayalde said that after killing the teen, Llenes took the peeled off skin with him along with the victim’s bag. The PNP official also alleged that the suspect committed the crime when he was under the influence of drugs, which was confirmed by Llenes during the conference.

The PNP chief said that they have found pieces of evidence that would link Llenes to the crime such as a pair of scissors and a bloodied T-shirt. However, the pieces of evidence are still being analyzed at the PNP’s crime lab.

“We can probably say this case is solved, but never closed. In the footage from the CCTV, it appears that he was the one with Christine,” Albayalde said.

However, Albayalde clarified that the PNP’s investigation is separate from the one the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) is conducting. In March, the NBI arrested a 17-year-old man whom they believe to be Silawan’s ex-boyfriend and said that he was the one in the CCTV footage seen meeting with the teenager.

The NBI said yesterday that they will still pursue their case against the 17-year-old despite the arrest of Llenes. However, the unidentified suspect’s lawyer, Vincent Isles, said that Llenes’ arrest debunks the NBI’s claim that his client was involved in Silawan’s killing. The 17-year-old is currently at the custody of Lapu-Lapu City’s social welfare department.

In the press conference, Llenes appears to have exonerated the 17-year-old suspect.

“I was haunted by my conscience. I pity the 17-year-old suspect. And I hope he will be released soon,” he said.

Silawan was a Grade 9 student and alms collector whose half-naked cadaver was found in Lapu-Lapu City in Cebu on March 11. Her face was skinned to the bone and some of her internal organs were also missing. A first autopsy conducted by the PNP concluded that there were no signs that she was raped but a re-autopsy conducted by the Public Attorney’s Office said that she was.



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