2 nabbed for teen's rape-slay in cemetery

MANILA, Philippines -  Two suspects in the rape-slay of a 13-year-old girl in the La Loma Cemetery Friday were arrested after they were identified by a witness in Caloocan City yesterday.

Chief Inspector Rodrigo Soriano, Station Investigation and Detective Management Branch (SIDMB) chief, said they first arrested Jose Ruel Bragais, 42, in the cemetery.

The second suspect, Alfredo Tacuyo, 39, was caught after Bragais told police where Tacuyo could be found.

Police said the victim visited the grave of her grandmother and a witness said Bragais allegedly accosted the girl to cadge some money to buy cigarettes. The girl did not have money, which angered Bragais, who dragged the girl behind a mausoleum and undressed her with Tacuyo’s help, the witness said.

The witness said Tacuyo was the first to rape the girl, and it was Bragais who stabbed her several times.

The witness said the two suspects bound the victim’s hands. Her body was later found by her family after they received a text message telling them of her whereabouts. The sender did not say the girl was already dead.

The victim sustained severe head injuries and 16 stab wounds in the chest and abdomen.

The suspects denied the allegations against them.