NBI 7: Suspect was at crime scene when Silawan was murdered

RESULTS of the DNA test conducted by the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) 7 indicate that the 18-year-old suspect was present when Christine Lee Silawan was murdered on March 10.

The bloodstain on the shoe of the prime suspect in the Silawan murder matched the specimen taken from the victim’s parents, the NBI revealed.

This means the suspect came in contact with the body of Silawan, said NBI 7 Director Tomas Enrile.

It also means that the suspect was present when Silawan was murdered, which the suspect’s family has repeatedly denied.

The NBI also clarified that what appeared to be a bloodstain on the suspect’s hat did not match the swab sample taken from Silawan’s parents, which means it was not blood.

The findings of the DNA test were explained by Dr. Rene Cam, the NBI medicolegal officer, to reporters on Thursday night, April 4.

“It means that the blood taken from the shoe of the suspect was that of an offspring or child of the parents. As a result, the conclusion has tested that Christine Lee Silawan is included as the source of DNA profile based on the deduced profile of the parents, meaning the profile that was taken from the stain was the same as that of the parents,” Cam said.

The NBI explained the DNA test result after lawyer Vincent Isles, counsel for the suspect, said he was not surprised by the result, and that the NBI may have manipulated it by putting blood on the evidence it has.

Cam said that if the blood came from a male person, it would not have matched the swab sample from the parents of Silawan.

The DNA test result is enough evidence against the suspect and strengthens their case against him, he said.

The NBI 7 had filed a murder complaint against the former boyfriend of Silawan, whose body was found on a vacant lot in Barangay Bankal, Lapu-Lapu City last March 11.

As for the differences in the results of the autopsy that the Public Attorney’s Office (PAO) and the PNP Crime Laboratory 7 conducted on the body of Silawan, Cam said only Dr. Benjamin Lara of the PNP can explain it.

In the autopsy he performed, Lara said he did not see any hematoma, only two lacerations in the vagina.

The PAO’s autopsy, on the other hand, showed extensive and massive abrasions on the labia majora, or the outer folds of the vagina. Second degree lacerations and hematomas, or swelling due to blood clots, were also found inside her private parts, indicating forcible penetration.

“Hematoma is a reaction of the skin anti-mortem, meaning when the person was alive, which would react to any injury. If any hematoma was inflicted before she died, it will remain as a hematoma even if the person is already dead. A hematoma cannot appear if a person is dead because the tissues will no longer react,” Cam added.

The NBI is waiting for the result of the genital examination performed by the PNP to find out if Silawan was raped.