Alabang matron charged with murder

Police charged a well-heeled matron yesterday for the murder in Las Piñas over the weekend of a family nurse who supposedly refused to confirm that her husband was allegedly having an extra-marital affair.

Las Piñas police charged Marybeth Lopez de Leon, wife of Jose Vicente Madrigal de Leon, for the murder of nurse Belma Abella, 43, of Talon, Las Piñas, at around 7:30 a.m of Friday inside her BMW sedan at the BF International subdivision.

Meanwhile, the Poblador Bautista and Reyes Law Offices, which De Leon engaged to represent her in the murder case, denied that the wealthy matron was in hiding and that the Philippine National Police-Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (PNP-CIDG) was already apprised of the matron’s whereabouts.

"No warrant has been issued against our client. She has not fled and she is not in hiding. We are cooperating, consistent with our client’s constitutional rights, with the PNP-CIDG which has been apprised of her whereabouts," said lawyers Alexander Poblador and Jaime Hofilena.

The lawyers said De Leon will face and defend herself against any charge that may be filed against her.

Police said De Leon "accidentally" shot Abella dead as she was grilling the nurse on the whereabouts of her husband’s alleged mistress, supposedly a guest relations officer of a Makati City karaoke bar.

According to De Leon’s driver Wences Tablang, 31, who is one of two witnesses to the killing, the De Leon couple were both at an unidentified karaoke bar in Makati City on the eve of the killing.

Tablang apparently drove Mrs. de Leon while Mr. de Leon was driven by his own driver and bodyguards, police said.

The couple went home to their home at the posh Ayala Alabang subdivision in Muntinlupa City but, Tablang said in his affidavit, Mr. de Leon almost immediately left the house after they arrived.

Tablang said he later drove Marybeth to Jose Vicente’s other home at BF International but he was not there.

It was at that point, Tablang said in his affidavit, that he and Marybeth fetched Abello and brought her to BF International and parked at the corner of Elizalde and Tropical streets.

According to Tablang, Marybeth then ordered him to step out of the car to allow De Leon and the nurse to talk in private. But Tablang stressed that the two women were already arguing when he disembarked.

A few moments later, Tablang said Marybeth emerged from the car with a Glock 9-mm. pistol, the alleged murder weapon, in her hand and Abello slumped on the back seat.

Tablang said he wrestled the pistol from De Leon who fled with the BMW after she supposedly asked the driver to choose between helping Abello and driving her away from the scene of the crime.

But the other witness, Conrado Erasca, 30, a security guard of BF International, said he saw three people inside the car "while an argument was going on."

"That was what the witness said," said police prober Senior Police Officer 1 Benjamin Javier. Police learned that Tablang was also licensed to carry a firearm.

Tablang surrendered his firearm along with the alleged murder weapon when he reported the incident to the police.

Tablang also said he took the victim out of the car and boarded a tricycle and brought the victim to a nearby clinic but they were told to proceed to the Las Piñas District Hospital where Abello died.