Cops to go after coddlers of Angeles 'serial killer'

ANGELES CITY, Philippines – Mayor Edgardo Pamintuan yesterday declared “solved” the series of killings of mostly expatriates in this city with the arrest of the prime suspect in San Fernando, La Union last Tuesday morning. But police are not yet about to let go of his coddlers and unaccounted firearms.

Five counts of murder and robbery were initially filed yesterday morning against computer technician Mark Dizon, but more pieces of evidence would likely make him answerable for the killings of a total of nine people in three separate incidents this month.

Pamintuan, a lawyer, said there is a “preponderance of evidence” to eventually pin down Dizon, as he and police officials led by Central Luzon police director Chief Superintendent Arturo Cacdac and Angeles police chief Senior Superintendent Danny Bautista presented to the media three laptops, several cell phones, cameras, and even bottles of perfume which Dizon stole from the victims.

Bautista said police are set to file today another case of illegal possession of firearms against Dizon in San Fernando, La Union for the caliber .22 pistol seized from him during his arrest.

Bautista and Cacdac said those who coddled Dizon after he was tagged as the “serial killer” last July 22 would be charged with harboring a criminal.

They added that investigators are checking if Dizon has other firearms, including an M-16 rifle, in the safekeeping of other people, as pictures showed him posing with long firearms and three assorted pistols, including the caliber 9-mm supposedly used in the killings.

Cacdac said Dizon has denied the charges against him.

While the cases against Dizon were filed only yesterday, Pamintuan said his arrest the other day was justified based on an arrest warrant issued against him in 2005 on charges of car theft and robbery.  

Cacdac said the initial five counts of murder filed yesterday pertained only to the massacre of retired US Air Force M/Sgt. Albert Mitchell, 70, and his wife Janet, 53, and their house helpers Isabel Fajardo, Marissa Prado, and Yulberto Catli in their home at Hensonville Court Subdivision in Barangay Malabanias last July 22.  

Dizon was also tagged in the killings of South African national Geoffrey Allan Bennun, 60, and his live-in partner, Abegail Helina, 20, last July 12, and Briton James Bolton Porter, 51, and his live-in partner, Melissa Madarang, 22, last July 16.

Cacdac said Dizon had no plans to surrender and reportedly told his parents that he would rather be a communist rebel.

Police said they used Facebook to help track down Dizon, with witnesses initially identifying him through his Facebook account, where police found out that a daughter of one of the victims was an ex-girlfriend.

“He had an account on Facebook and two witnesses positively identified him,” Bautista said.

He said Dizon apparently closed his Facebook account after sensing police were on his heels, but two witnesses had already positively identified him using his profile picture. – With Ric Sapnu