Fistfight with classmate kills boy in Muntinlupa

A 13-year-old high school student died during a fistfight with a 13-year-old classmate after hitting his head on the pavement when he was knocked off his feet in Muntinlupa City early yesterday.

John Solideo, a freshman at the Divine Mercy School in Sto. Niño Village in Tunasan, Muntinlupa appeared to have died of internal hemorrhage, as there were no signs of external injuries to his head, said the police. The two protagonists slugged it out about 8:10 a.m. shortly after their arrival in school.

The suspect, whose identity is withheld by The STAR for being a minor, is now reportedly in hiding after police failed to find him in his home in Cresanthemum Village, San Pedro, Laguna.

His relatives told the police that the boy is no longer around and that their lawyer would later contact them.

"It seems that the victim had been spreading word that the suspect is a whimp and this led him (suspect) to confront him," Muntinlupa City police investigation division head Chief Inspector Luisito Bolivar said, explaining the cause of the fistfight. Solideo was also a resident of San Pedro, Laguna’s Olympia Subdivision.

Bolivar said the two teenagers traded punches before a blow sent Solideo reeling to the pavement, his head hitting it, knocking him unconscious and ultimately killing him.

"The suspect was earlier placed under custody by the school but he was later released after his relatives offered to take him to the police. It did not turn out that way," added Bolivar. Bolivar said they have the testimonies of classmates of the two and the school nurse.