NBI insists Cebu teen killed by ex-boyfriend

ILOILO CITY, Philippines — Despite the confession of a 42-year-old man that he killed 16-year-old Christine Lee Silawan in Lapu-Lapu City, Cebu last month, the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) insists that it has an airtight case against the victim’s former boyfriend.

NBI Director Dante Gierran said they have both circumstantial and scientific evidence that could pin down Silawan’s 17-year-old boyfriend.

Renato Llenes, who was arrested on April 9, executed an extrajudicial confession, saying he was bothered by his conscience.

Llenes said he is the only person who perpetrated the crime even as he pleaded to authorities to release Silawan’s former boyfriend.

When asked if it could weaken the case since the NBI and the police have different prime suspects, Gierran said he sees no problem with it.

“Solved na ‘yan, but we don’t discount the possibility that there could be other persons of interests,” he told reporters during his visit here.

Gierran said their evidence against the 17-year-old suspect is not based only on testimonies.

The NBI chief said they also have testimonies of persons close to the suspect, who saw him with Silawan before she was reported missing.

“He fetched her from the church... It was captured by a CCTV (closed-circuit television) camera,” Gierran said.

He said they also obtained digital evidence of the private messages between Silawan and the suspect as well as his  blood-stained shoe.

The blood reportedly matches the DNA sample taken from Silawan’s parents.

“How can you disprove scientific evidence?” Gierran said.

The NBI-Central Visayas said it would continue to press charges against Silawan’s former boyfriend despite Llenes’ confession.

Silawan was found dead in a vacant lot, with her face skinned and some of her internal organs missing.