• THERESA MAE DULMAN
A senior citizen was beaten to death by a man reportedly suffering from a mental illness in Sitio Banman, Brgy. Locotan, Kabankalan City, Negros Occidental Oct. 25.
Police identified the victim as Letecia Recomono, a resident of the area, adding that barangay officials arrested the suspect, 45.
Investigation showed the suspect went to the store owned by Nerlyn Villarde, 59, and asked for a cigarette. When refused, he reportedly grew enraged, barged inside the store, and grabbed a cigarette and a bottle of liquor while holding a branch of “sarali” covered in thorns.
The owner fled the store, and when the suspect failed to catch her, he turned on Recomono, who was seated nearby, and repeatedly struck her.
Recomono was rushed to the Kabankalan City District Hospital, but an attending physician declared her dead on arrival.
In a phone patch Oct. 26, Kabankalan CCPS chief, P/Lt. Col. John Ganzon, said the victim’s family will file a murder charge against the suspect.
Ganzon added that while locals claimed the suspect has a mental condition, his psychological state will undergo formal evaluation during court proceedings.
The suspect remains in police custody, he added. | TMD
