MANILA, Philippines - Police launched a manhunt for a gay beauty titlist and his male companion after they allegedly stabbed two maids before fleeing with P500,000 worth of jewelry from his friend’s condominium unit in Sta. Cruz, Manila early yesterday.
Housemaid Evangeline Ventura, aged 40 to 45 years, died of several stab wounds while being treated at the UST Hospital. The other housemaid, Teresita Mantal, aged 20 to 25 years, is in serious condition at the Jose Reyes Memorial Hospital.
The owner of the unit at C.E. Chong Condominium, businesswoman Melissa Malibiran, 35, told police that based on the description provided by the building’s security guard, she believes one of the suspects is Nelson Bartolome, alias Joyce, of Gagalangin, Tondo. However, Malibiran failed to identify Bartolome’s male companion.
According to Chief Inspector Erwin Margarejo, who heads the homicide section of the Manila Police District, Bartolome is a long-time friend of Malibiran, who acted as one of the judges in a gay beauty contest the suspect joined.
At around 3 a.m., security guard Danilo Bermejo confronted a man with a very long hair and his male companion when they tried to enter the condominium. The suspects said they were told by Malibiran, who was then attending to her mother’s wake at a funeral parlor in Quezon City, to get something from her unit.
Bermejo said another tenant sought his assistance, and when he came back to his post the two visitors were gone.
After 30 minutes, the two visitors came out of the condominium carrying a paper bag. The two even thanked him and bade him goodbye, according to Bermejo.
Five minutes later, the guard’s intercom rang, and indicated the call was coming from Malibiran’s unit. When Bermejo answered, he heard a woman moaning. The guard ran upstairs and when he opened the door of the unit he saw the bodies of the two victims bathed in blood, their heads wrapped with adhesive tape.
Police recovered broken kitchen knives at the crime scene. The Malibiran couple told police they lost pieces of expensive jewelry worth at least P500,000 and a 9mm pistol.
Margarejo and his men went to Bartolome’s last known address but could not find him there. “We got some leads on the suspect’s whereabouts and I am optimistic that we can arrest him within 24 hours,” Margarejo said.