Suspect in death allegedly linked to a fraternity hazing leaves PH for Taiwan

After allegedly beating 22-year-old University of Santo Tomas (UST) law student Horacio “Atio” Castillo III to death, a suspect linked to the case has reportedly left the Philippines.

The Bureau of Investigation (BI) said yesterday that suspect Ralph Caballes Trangia boarded an Eva Air flight headed to Taipei on Tuesday.

According to a report on the Philippine Star, the plane ticket was bought on Aug. 18, Monday, a day after Castillo was brought to the Chinese General Hospital.

Castillo died last weekend after attending the welcoming rites event for the university-recognized fraternity Aegis Juris. The Manila Police District (MPD) confirmed on Monday that his death was caused by fraternity hazing.

Trangia, also a law student and an officer for Aegis Juris, was named one of the prime suspects along with his father Antonio Trangia and John Paul Solano. The Trangias own the vehicle that was used to bring Castillo to the hospital.

Solano, a law student and member of Aegis Juris, initially said that he found Castillo’s body covered with a blanket on a pavement in Tondo, Manila.

In Solano’s account of the incident, he said that he stopped a vehicle on the road and asked to be brought to a hospital after finding the body.

The MPD said that Solano first introduced himself as a medical technician from San Lazaro Hospital in Manila and left out his connection to the fraternity.

Ralph left Manila a day before the Justice Department issued an immigration watchlist that included his name and the names of 15 other people possibly linked to the case.

His father Antonio and fraternity brother Solano are said to still be in the Philippines.

Philippine National Police Chief Ronald dela Rosa has asked the Department of Foreign Affairs to cancel Ralph’s passport, making him an undocumented alien in Taiwan. Dela Rosa said that this will help make the process of bringing him back to the Philippines faster.

The Philippine Star reported that Trangia holds a visa to the U.S., one of the countries the Philippines has an extradition treaty with.