First gunman hired to kill Enzo Pastor surfaces

MANILA, Philippines — A potential key witness in the fatal shooting of  international race car driver Enzo Pastor surfaced Wednesday, claiming he was the first gunman hired to kill Pastor.

Alvin Nidua said businessman Domingo "Sandy" de Guzman approached him first before he decided to instead hire Pasay City Police Officer Edgar Angel to kill Pastor.

Nidua claimed he refused to accept the offer as De Guzman could not afford his asking price of P500,000.

Angel was arrested late August as a principal suspect in the slaying of Pastor last June 12. In his extrajudicial confession, Angel said De Guzman contracted him.

The cop-gunman also claimed that De Guzman had an affair with the champion racer's wife, Dalia Guerrero Pastor, saying he took the offer after De Guzman showed him photos of Dalia's injuries from Pastor's beating.

Guzman was arrested in connection with the crime but was able to post bail for illegal possession of firearms. Dalia, meanwhile, was named a suspect by police but is believed to be in hiding.

In his counter-affidavit submitted to the Department of Justice, Angel, however, retracted his confession and claimed innocence as he was only forced to recite a script from the Quezon City Police District.

The camp of Pastor's family said that Angel's retraction would be countered by eye witness Paolo Salazar, Pastor's companion at the night of the slay.

Lawyer Enrique dela Cruz said in a television interview that Salazar positively identified Angel as the motorcycle-riding gunman who fired at him and Pastor along Commonwealth Avenue in Quezon City.

Enrique also noted that De Guzman was nabbed when he was caught paying the remainder of the P100,000 fee to Angel in an entrapment operation. - Camille Diola with reports from Edu Punay