CEBU, Philippines - There are marriages that are made in heaven, but this one ended in a hellish nightmare.
A Filipino man, who reportedly came home intoxicated, allegedly stabbed dead his Japanese wife at their home in Block 5, Lot 24, Edison St, St. Dominic Subdivision, Sitio Sudtongan, Barangay Basak, Lapu-Lapu City at dawn yesterday.
The suspect was identified as Dexter Louie Armonio Denila, 27, a native of Tagum City, Davao del Norte.
The victim was identified as Kotoka Kajii Denila, 32, who originally hailed from Tokyo, Japan.
The wife worked as a freelance instructor of the Japanese language. She succumbed to multiple stab wounds.
The couple and their nine-month-old daughter were supposed to migrate to Japan next month.
Denila has no job and is reportedly often drunk, according to witnesses, which is the reason for arguments with his wife.
Kotoka was hit in her chest, back, both arms, and nape. Police said that the nature of the wounds showed that she tried to resist her attacker.
How it started
The suspect allegedly came home around 2:45 a.m. after having drinks with friends at a nearby basketball court.
When he got home, he allegedly knocked several times to awaken his wife, who was sleeping in their bedroom on the second floor.
When the victim got down to open the door, she reportedly gave her husband a tongue lashing for his constant drunkenness.
Sr. Insp. Zenaido Pastorfide, chief of the Crimes Against Persons Desk of the Lapu-Lapu City Police Office, said that Dexter reportedly lost his cool and went to the kitchen to get a knife.
He then allegedly followed his wife up the stairs and stabbed her several times.
Eyewitness
Jupel Baldosano, 18, who works as house helper of the couple, said that he heard the cries for help of the victim, which he ran upstairs to the couple’s bedroom.
Baldosano sleeps in the servant’s quarters on the ground floor.
He said that he saw Dexter stabbing his wife and pulling her hair.
The witness said that when he saw the baby on the floor, he immediately got hold of the child, ran out of the house for safety and sought the help of their neighbors.
Baldosano has been working for the couple for more than a year.
The suspect reportedly fled the scene after Baldosano ran out of the house, which allowed the neighbors, who contacted the police, to rush the victim to the Lapu-Lapu City District Hospital.
She was, however, declared dead on arrival by attending physician, Dr. Nole A. Cortes.
The police will be conducting a post-mortem examination of the body.
The baby is now under the custody of the Department of Social Welfare and Development.
Denial
Dexter was arrested by responding policemen while he was casually walking around their subdivision.
He denied any hand in the crime and claimed that he found his wife dead when he went into their room.
When he was arrested, he also first told the police that his name was Peter. He said he was about to change his underwear when he found the body on the bed. He claimed that he pulled out the knife that was still stuck on the victim’s chest.
After doing that, he claimed that he ran out of the house and called for help.
The neighbors, however, refuted his claim as they said the suspect never asked help from any of them.
“Didto’y nag-inom sa gawas wa gyud niingon nga nangayo siya og tabang,” (There was a group having drinks outside but nobody said that he asked for help) Pastorfide said.
When asked if he was taking drugs, Dexter told The FREEMAN that he recently renewed his driver’s license and passed the drug test.
“Ako man gud ang napasanginlan kay ako ma’y nagbitbit sa kutsilyo pero igo ra gyud ko nidagan sa gawas kay emergency lagi,” (I am being blamed because I brought the knife, but I just ran outside because it was an emergency) Dexter said.
He said that he will face the charges of parricide that will be filed against him in court.
Investigation
The knife, which the suspect said he threw away, was not yet found as of late yesterday.
Pastorfide said that there was blood on the short pants worn by the suspect, which they would send to the Philippine National Police (PNP) Crime Laboratory for DNA testing.
The police official said that representatives from the Japanese Consulate already went to their office yesterday and asked the details about the crime.
The victim’s family in Japan has already been informed of the tragedy. Pastorfide said that the suspect told them although he is a native of Davao del Norte he met his wife in Mandaue City in 2010 where he lived with a sibling.
The suspect said that they eventually got married on the same year. —/NLQ (FREEMAN)