Witness links Ruby Rose's husband to Mafia-style murder

MANILA, Philippines – The husband of Ruby Rose Barrameda-Jimenez, sister of former actress Rochelle Barrameda, has been implicated in her brutal killing by a suspect-turned-state witness who surfaced yesterday and testified before investigating panel of the Department of Justice (DOJ).

Manuel Montero, one of the five suspects who were allegedly paid P50,000 each to carry out Ruby Rose’s murder two years ago, said in his supplemental affidavit submitted to the DOJ panel that the victim’s husband, Manuel Jimenez III, nicknamed “Third,” had knowledge of the killing.

Montero recalled hearing a phone conversation between fellow suspect Spyke Discalzo and Jimenez on March 15, 2007 after getting their payment.

He said he was with Discalzo when the latter called someone on his cellphone and said in Filipino, “Sir, I’m going home to Bataan first to bring money to my family. We already accomplished our mission last night, we already solved your problem and we have also already thrown it (body) away sir.”

Montero said he then asked Discalzo who he was talking to and the latter supposedly replied: “Third will give me a bonus because his problem has been fixed.”

Montero said this incident gave him an idea that the husband of the woman they had killed was aware of the murder.

Because of this new development in the case, Ruby Rose’s family said they would include Jimenez in the list of respondents in the case.

In the first affidavit he affirmed before the DOJ yesterday, Montero had directly named Ruby Rose’s father-in-law, Manuel Jimenez II, and his brother, Lope Jimenez, as the ones who ordered him and four others to abduct and kill her.

Ruby Rose reportedly disappeared on March 14, 2007, after a bitter dispute with her estranged husband over the custody of their two young children.

According to Montero, Ruby Rose was taken by armed men in a van on the day she was supposed to visit her two daughters at the house of her estranged husband in BF Homes in Las Piñas City.

Reports said Montero was trusted by the Jimenezes since he had worked with them as operations manager of the family-owned Buena Suerte Jimenez Fishing and Trading Co. (BSJ) for the past several years.

Based on Montero’s account, Ruby Rose was killed in the BSJ warehouse at Pier 2 of the Navotas fish port on the same day she was abducted. He said it took them two days to plan and carry out the killing.

A few hours later, the van carrying the victim arrived at the BSJ warehouse at Pier 2 of the Navotas fish port.

On Montero’s instructions, Ruby Rose’s mouth was gagged with packaging tape while her hands were tied. With at least two men watching her, the victim was left in the vehicle until it was dark.

Again on Montero’s orders, one of the men strangled Ruby Rose with a steel wire. The body was brought to one of the rooms of the warehouse where three men stuffed and cemented it in a metal drum used in transporting diesel.

To ensure that the body will not be recovered, the drum was enclosed and welded in a steel casing. It was brought to a BSJ fishing vessel and was thrown into the waters some one nautical mile (1.85 kilometers) away from the port.

Montero also claimed the Jimenezes had instructed him to pull off his assignment “as usual” by pouring concrete on the victim’s body in a steel drum.

During interrogation, Montero also admitted that he had participated in at least five other Mafia-style executions as ordered by the Jimenezes.

In the complaint filed by police last June 11, only Lope and Manuel II were named respondents along with Eric Fernandez, Discalzo, Roberto Ponce, Rudy de la Cruz and Montero.

During yesterday’s hearing, none of the respondents were able to answer the charges because their lawyers said they still have to respond to Montero’s supplemental affidavit.

The counsels of the respondents then requested for 15 days to review the complaint, evidence and supplemental affidavit before submitting counter-affidavits. The three-man DOJ panel, led by Senior State Prosecutor Teodoro Villanueva, granted the request and set the hearing for submission of defense on July 13.

Montero guided police to Ruby Rose’s body, which was fished out from the waters off Navotas last June 10.