Kidnap suspect ‘silenced’?

One of three suspected kidnappers who were killed in a pre-dawn encounter with policemen in General Trias, Cavite last Sept. 18, could have been "silenced."

This is, at least, the perception of the family of slain suspect Diosdado Santos following the initial results of a forensic examination conducted by Dr. Raquel Fortun of the University of the Philippines’ College of Medicine.

Santos was also a principal suspect in the murder of police captain Baron Cervantes, self-appointed spokesman of the rightist group Young Officers’ Union, on New Year’s Eve in Las Piñas City.

Police have maintained that Santos, 39, a former Marine, was killed in a 30-minute gunbattle with members of the elite Police Anti-Crime Emergency Response (PACER) at his supposed hideout in General Trias town.

Fortun, however, said there were signs that Santos could have been "silenced."

In her re-autopsy of Santos’ body last Friday, Fortun found out that Santos was shot three times: two in the chest, with the bullets exiting in the back; and in the mouth.

Fortun said the bullet that hit Santos’ mouth pierced his lower lip and shattered an upper tooth and three lower teeth. The bullet then exited in the back of the neck.

"It appears that he (Santos) was already dying and was already down when he was shot in the mouth. The muzzle was over the lower lip. It was not a distant, random shot as the upper lip should have been damaged. It appears to be the last shot," Fortun said.

She also noted an almost even abrasion margin on the victim’s lower lip, but none on the upper lip. An abrasion mark is left by a bullet entering the body.

Fortun, however, could not categorically say that Santos was really "silenced" or summarily executed, adding that she needs to wait for the results of an examination on tissue samples taken from Santos. The results are due tomorrow.

The results of the National Bureau of Investigation’s autopsy on Santos’ body will be released on Friday, Fortun said.

Also killed in the reported encounter were Santos’ alleged cohorts, Rodolfo Patinio, 34, and Eugene Radam, 34, also a former Marine.

Police said the gunbattle brought an early solution to the kidnapping of businessman Carl Anthony Penano, who was snatched last Sept. 16 in Cavite.