‘Boy Demonyo’ caught in Ermita bar

A fugitive gun-for-hire with a string of murder and frustrated murder cases to his name, including the shooting of a tabloid reporter in August last year, was finally arrested in a bar in Ermita, Manila at around 1 a.m. yesterday.

Jorge de Jesus, alias Jorge Tabora and “Boy Demonyo,” 41, who is on the wanted list of the Northern Police District (NPD) for the slay try on 52-year-old Roger Panizal, a photographer of the tabloid Tiktik, is the subject of arrest warrants for homicide and frustrated murder cases under Manila regional trial court Judge Dumlao and Caloocan City RTC Branch 26 Judge Luisito Sardillo, respectively.

Panizal moonlights as a tricycle driver on his off hours to augment his meager income. The motive for the shooting was traced to a row over parking and a queue for passengers three weeks before the incident, according to the police.

Panizal sustained five bullet wounds from a .45 caliber pistol but survived.

Police Officer 1 Ronald Hipolito, 34, a Manila cop who has been absent without official leave since April 2005 was also arrested and identified by Panizal as an accomplice of De Jesus.

Region 1 director Chief Superintendent Leopoldo Bataoil, who was the NPD chief when the slay try on Panizal occurred, expressed elation over De Jesus’ arrest.

Bataoil and the Caloocan Malabon Navotas Valenzuela (Camanava) Press Corps earlier offered P50,000 for any information leading to De Jesus’ arrest following the slay attempt on Panizal.

Following his arrest last night, De Jesus was identified by Teresita Tupaz as the one who killed her husband, barangay councilor Felicisimo Tupaz, and seriously wounded barangay chairman Castor Rebusi on Dec. 24, 1997.

Tupaz said De Jesus attacked the two barangay officials for unknown reasons and managed to elude arrest for several years.

According to Chief Inspector Alejandro Yanquiling Jr., chief of the homicide section of the Manila Police District (MPD), he received information that De Jesus is frequently seen in a club in Ermita since he is said to be courting one of its guest relation officers.

Yanquiling and Senior Police Officer 4 Ismael dela Cruz monitored Ermita and Malate every night for almost two months, but De Jesus proved elusive.

“There were times when we almost got him just several minutes apart when he left the place. It seems he was always aware of the presence of lawmen,” Yanquiling said.

De Jesus was finally arrested in the Mayumi Japanese Club in Ermita last night. Police recovered a seven-inch knife tucked in the waistband of his jeans.

Yanquiling brought De Jesus to the NPD for proper disposition.

He commended Senior Police Officer 3 Virgilio Martinez, SPO2 David Tuazon, SPO1 Mario Tabora and PO3 Manuel Sarmiento for their investigative skills, which led to De Jesus’ arrest.  – Nestor Etolle, Jerry Botial, Pete Laude