Murder victim writes clue in blood

Police investigators are trying to establish the identity of the person whose name was written in blood by a millionaire trader before he succumbed to stab wounds on the fourth floor of his office in Malate, Manila early last Sunday.

Businessman Federico Delgado, 51, wrote the name "Franco" on the wall with his own blood shortly before he died. Delgado owns a number of resorts and commercial buildings.

His body was found near the entrance of his office at the fourth floor of the family-owned Mayflower Building on Leon Guinto street in Malate. Delgado sustained three stab wounds.

Officer-on-case Senior Police Officer 2 Virgo Villareal said Delgado could had written the name to provide the police a lead to his assailants.

Delgado reportedly arrived at the building on Saturday night, accompanied by a woman identified as Annalisa Peseco, 20, a student, of Mandaluyong City.

Upon opening his room at the fourth floor of the building, two masked men attacked Delgado with knives. Peseco screamed for help, prompting the suspects to hit her on the head with an object. She lost consciousness and her hands were tied behind her back with nylon straw and a necktie.

Villareal said the suspects then opened Delgado’s vault and took away cash, jewelry and documents.

Peseco regained consciousness when the suspects left and managed to untie herself. Still dazed, she got out of the building and hailed a passing taxicab which brought her to the Malate police station.

She failed to identify their attackers because the killers were wearing black bonnets.

According to Villareal, two lawyers who represent one of Delgado’s brothers identified as Franco, went to the police yesterday to clear their client’s name on the robbery slaying of the victim.

Despite the clue written in blood, the victim’s brother, Franco Delgado, cannot be considered as a prime suspect yet due to the absence of incriminating evidence against him, Villareal said.

"There are many Francos out there. We are still trying to establish if Franco Delgado has an axe to grind against his brother," Villareal said.

Investigators are also wondering how the attackers knew the combination of the victim’s safety vault.