(Eagle News) — A suspect in the killing of five members of a family in San Jose del Monte this week has been arrested, with police saying rape was the sole motive for the gruesome crime.
Police said Carmelino Navarro Ybañez of Negros Occidental, 26, single, and a construction worker, was arrested by San Jose del Monte Police around 6 p.m. Wednesday.
Chief Supt. Aaron Aquino, provincial director of Region 3, said Ybañez, who lives two houses away from the victims’ house, made the confession of killing Auring Dizon, 58; her daughter Estrella Dizon, 28; and Estrella’s children Donnie, 11; Ella, 7 and Dexter Jr., 1; to his own sister and mother.
Aquino said the suspect was also positively identified by a witness as the one leaving the house of the victims early Tuesday, the day the crime was supposedly committed.
“Hindi namin pinilit siya sa confession na iyan,” Aquino said.
According to the police, the suspect’s motive was rape, with Supt. Fitz Macariola, San Jose del Monte police chief, noting the testimony of Dexter Carlos–Estrella’s partner who discovered the bodies of his entire family inside their house after work–that there were people who seemed to like her in a romantic way.
In an interview, Carlos confirmed he was then referring to Ybañez.
Shabu
Aquino said that while the suspect was not in any drug watchlist, he would take shabu every day.
“But for these past few days, he takes it once a week. When you take shabu with alcohol, it’s dangerous,” he said.
He said Ybañez committed the crime while everyone in the house was sleeping.
“Walang kalaban laban ang pamilya,” he said.
Auring, the police official said, sustained 32 stab wounds.
After stabbing her, Aquino said he raped her.
Police said Estrella was also raped and killed.
The eldest of the three children, Aquino said, sustained 15 stab wounds.
The youngest, he said, sustained five stab wounds.
Aquino said the police recovered the knife Ybañez admitted to using to commit the crime.
Persons of interest
Even if Ybañez said he appeared to have committed the crime alone, Aquino said the police “will not stop here kasi baka may persons of interest na kailangan naming icheck.”
He said Ybañez will be detained at the San Jose del Monte police station.
Criminal charges will be filed against him.