Suspect in Frenchman’s slay in Cebu arrested

CEBU — One of the suspects in last Saturday’s killing of a 61-year-old French national in Lapu-Lapu City was arrested Monday night by operatives of the city police and the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group.

The suspect, Leonardo Baynos, was arrested in the house of his uncle in Barangay Campo II, Talisay City. The police are also looking for Baynos’ brother Frederick, a former convict, whom witnesses claimed they also saw in the house of victim Marc Raoul Louvel shortly before he was found dead in the nude with several stab wounds.

The police confirmed that Louvel was a pedophile.

Two witnesses saw the Baynos brothers twice in Louvel’s house in Barangay Bangkal, Lapu-Lapu City shortly before the killing.

SPO4 Jeffrey Baguio, homicide chief of the Lapu-Lapu police, said the tricycle rented by Baynoses was even left in front of the Terre Sants Fronteire residential center for street children in Lapu-Lapu City, an orphanage which Louvel operated.

Leonardo reportedly admitted to the crime when police interrogated him Monday night. However, the CIDG noted inconsistencies in his account, apparently because he was high on drugs.

Baguio said Louvel used to support Leonardo’s studies until he kicked him out from the center last year when the victim learned that his ward was hooked into illegal drugs and was frequently cutting classes.

Witnesses said Leonardo asked Louvel last week to take him back but was apparently turned down.

Officials of the French consulate in Cebu told Baguio in a meeting Monday night that Louvel’s son would arrive within the week.

Baguio confirmed that Louvel was a pedophile on the basis of a confession made by his alleged lover, Ferdinand Daruca.

Daruca admitted to the police that he was the victim’s boyfriend and that they had engaged in oral sex. Louvel reportedly gave Daruca a house and lot at the Camella Homes in Lapu-Lapu City. — Freeman News Service