Teahouse owner’s son cleared in poisoning deaths

MANILA, Philippines - The city prosecutor’s office has dismissed the murder and frustrated murder charges against the son of a teahouse owner who died after tasting allegedly poisoned milk tea in Manila last April.

In a nine-page decision issued Sept. 25, Assistant City Prosecutor Dennis Aguila said there was no probable cause to charge Lloyd Kevin Abrigo after it could not be proven that he was responsible for mixing the milk tea.

Aguila said Abrigo has no motive to poison his father, William Abrigo, and customers Suzanne Dagohoy and Arnold Aydallah.

Abrigo also surrendered to the police and turned over closed-circuit television footage of the Ergo Cha teahouse, Aguila said.

He added that charges of reckless imprudence resulting in homicide and serious physical injuries, which carry a lower penalty, cannot be levied against Abrigo.

On April 9, the elder Abrigo and Dagohoy died after drinking Hokkaido flavored milk tea, which the teahouse owner himself prepared. Their deaths came less than five minutes apart.

Dagohoy and her boyfriend, Aydallah, were the teahouse’s first customers for the day. Aydallah ordered the milk tea from Abrigo at about 10:40 a.m.

When the glass was handed over to Aydallah, he vomited and complained that he could not stand the taste. He asked Dagohoy to taste the milk tea.

She drank and threw up. Embarrassed, Abrigo took the glass and sampled the milk tea, insisting there was nothing wrong with the product until he and Dagohoy started frothing at the mouth and collapsed.

They were rushed to Ospital ng Sampaloc, where physicians declared them dead on arrival.

Aydallah survived after being confined at the Philippine General Hospital.

One of the helpers said the teahouse owner’s son brought a foul-smelling liquid into the shop the night before Abrigo and Dagohoy died.