Slain financial consultant's family offers P.2-M reward

MANILA, Philippines - The family of a financial consultant robbed and killed in his home in Caloocan City over the weekend offered a P200,000 reward yesterday for information that would lead to the arrest of his killers.

Lawyer Oliver Garcia, who represents the family of victim Jose Martinez Jr., 42, of 1 Road 7, GSIS Hills in Talipapa, Caloocan City who was murdered by four suspects in his bedroom early Sunday morning, submitted to the police yesterday a manifesto formalizing the offer.

The manifesto was made on instruction of the victim’s elder sister Josephine “Jojie” Viray, alleged financier of the family moneylending business, who lives in the United States.

Police said they are looking into several angles in the killing. Chief Inspector Rodrigo Soriano said they are leaning towards the theory that the killing was an inside job.

According to reports, Martinez was killed by four men, all wearing bonnets, in his bedroom at around 2 a.m. Sunday.

Martinez’s partner, Maricel Retita, 27, heard several gunshots. She told investigators she was with Martinez’s 18-year-old niece, Kimberly, watching television in an adjoining bedroom when the attack happened.

Retita said the men tried to get into their room but she managed to lock the door. She said she saw the attackers from her window as they fled in the victim’s silver-gray Honda CRV (XSN-668).

Scene of the Crime Operatives team leader Inspector Jose Bonifacio and his men recovered four fired cartridge cases, a deformed slug from a caliber .45 pistol, a canister of spray paint and masking tape.

Bonifacio also added the victim showed signs that he was tortured before he was killed. Martinez succumbed to two gunshot wounds, one in the nape and another in the right portion of his back. He was also hogtied with a nylon cord.

Before leaving, the suspects sprayed “Hayop ka Jojie Stapador (You are an animal, Jojie the swindler)” in red paint on the dining room wall.

Missing are an undetermined amount of cash in collections and 13 land titles presumed to be collaterals for loans by clients of the family moneylending business.

Senior Inspector Enrique Torres told The STAR their investigation is now focused on personalities “within the family circle.”