Child killer taken to city jail

CEBU, Philippines - The man who killed the son of his former live-in partner last week was taken to the Mandaue City jail following the recommendation of the City Prosecutor's Office that he be criminally charged.

Prosecutor Bienvinido Mabanto has approved the filing of charges for the complex crime of serious illegal detention with murder against Mario Abecia, 42, of barangay Subangdaku, Mandaue City.

Abecia had admitted killing Gabriel Morales, 7, the youngest son of the three children of Christine Morales.

On October 2, Abecia snatched the child before he went looking for his live-in partner who he suspected was having an affair with another man.

When he came back the following day, the child was already dead.

The police said the child, who died from suffocation, was found gagged and his hands and feet bound.

Abecia had wrapped the boy in a blanket and dug a shallow hole near the toilet of his home where he buried the body.

The stench that came from the hole led to the discovery of the child's body last October 4.

Abecia earlier denied killing the child but later admitted to the crime claiming his conscience bothered him.

He was detained at the Subangdaku police station with Arsenio Ursal Jr., who Abecia earlier tagged as the child's killer.

However, Mabanto yesterday ordered the release of Ursal from detention after the fiscal found out that there was no sufficient evidence to link him to the killing.

"The evidence showed that he was indeed requested by respondent Abesia to buy masking tape for the purpose of tying the child but it is also clear that Ursal refused to heed the request, since there is no evidence that may link Ursal to the commission of the case as no one has identified him as having taken part in any stage of the commission of the crime. The case against him is ordered dismissed," the resolution states.

Ursal was released yesterday afternoon while Abecia was escorted by PO2 Marino Lofranco to the Mandaue City jail wherein his commitment order signed by Judge Marilyn Lagura Yap was accepted by C/Insp. Jessie Calumpang, the jail warden.

Abecia was assigned to a "solid cell," away from the annex cell which is occupied by the child's father who is also detained for an illegal drugs case.

Earlier, Abecia requested that instead of being remanded to the city jail, he asked the police if could immediately be taken to the National Bilibid Prisons in Manila for fear that the child's father might kill him inside the Mandaue City Jail. - THE FREEMAN