Hit man kills restaurateur

Displaying boldness and defiance, an alleged hired killer returned to the crime scene early yesterday in Sta. Cruz, Manila, where he had shot and killed a 73-year-old Chinese-Filipino restaurateur hours earlier to eavesdrop on the police investigation and later slipped away.

Known only by his alias "Bodaville", the 5’10 tall, Chinese-looking, alleged ex-convict was spotted at about 10 a.m. by one of the residents wearing a different set of clothes and a baseball cap pulled down over his face to conceal his identity.

The resident was also a witness to the killing of businessman Benjamin Leung who was shot dead the night before.

"I saw him but I could not speak out because he might kill me too. I think he was trying to listen in on the discussions of the people in the area regarding the incident," said the 25-year-old witness. The policemen had left the scene by that time.

Western Police District (WPD) investigators are still trying to determine the real identity of the killer.

At 11:45 p.m. last Sunday, Bodaville reportedly fired his gun into the air, kicked and pounded the glass window of Leung’s Nissan Safari van (TSS-818), and opened fire four times on the trader sitting on the driver’s seat. The trader was hit once in the lower left chest.

The gunman then knocked down Leung’s son, who tried to grab his revolver after the shooting. The killer also reportedly tried to shoot Leung’s son but the gun did not fire.

Leung is the owner of Wan Sun Cantonese restaurant at 747 F. Torres st., Sta. Cruz, where he and his son also resided.

Manila police said the hired killer broke the vehicle’s window after efforts to trick the businessman into rolling down the window by pretending to sell him a watch failed.

Based on the investigation of SPO4 Jose Bagkus, Bodaville, estimated to be 43 years old, went around Leung’s van after the businessman waved him away and returned to the same spot for his vicious attack. After a brief scuffle with the victim’s son, the assailant reportedly boarded a Nissan Sentra car, with another person in the driver’s seat.

Bagkus said the assailant was observed by witnesses to be under the influence of drugs and was loitering in the area minutes before the killing.

Investigators are still trying to determine the motive.

Meanwhile, a sister of professional basketball player Bong Alvarez is now being hunted by the Las Piñas police for stabbing her live-in partner’s brother in a family squabble which turned bloody in Las Piñas City Sunday night.

Police identified the suspect as Lourdes Alvarez, said to be newly-released from a drug rehabilitation center, and resident of Ebony street, Samantha Village, Talon 5, in this city.

Alvarez was tagged as the one who stabbed Alberto Jesus de Guzman, 47, married, jobless, resident of the same address, who is now in critical condition at the Las Piñas Medical Center.

Alberto’s younger brother Francisco, 30, is Alvarez’s common-law husband. The couple have five children.

Investigation conducted by PO3 Aristole Raquion, case prober, showed the incident occurred at about 6 p.m. inside the De Guzmans’ residence. Before the incident, Francisco reportedly approached and tried to collect Alberto’s share of their electric bill but was rudely refused by the latter.

In the ensuing exchange of words, the brothers almost came to blows. Seeing this, Lourdes ran to stop the fight but was slapped in the face by the victim. Infuriated, Lourdes grabbed a knife and stabbed the victim thrice, hitting him in the neck, left armpit and right arm. – Rainier Allan Ronda