4 men face murder charge over American’s death

THE HUSBAND of an American diplomat whowas stabbed dead in a predawn altercation at the gate of Rockwell Center in Makati City apparently earned the ire of his four alleged attackers when he gave the silver Volvo car they were riding in a hard tap, according to the police.

George Anikow, 41, an inactive US Marine officer, died on Saturday morning after he was mauled and stabbed twice, Senior Supt. Manuel Lukban, Makati police chief, said in an interview yesterday.

The four menwere identified as Juan Alfonzo Abastilla, 24; Crispin dela Paz, 28; Osric Cabrera, 27; and Galicano Datu III, 22. They were charged with murder by the police.

Covering their faces with towels to avoid TV cameras, the four underwent inquest proceedings at the Makati Prosecutor’s Office yesterday afternoon. They were arrested by the police as they were fleeing after stabbing the victim.

According to the information gathered by investigators, Abastilla, Dela Paz and Cabrera are businessmen living in Makati while Datu is a student of De La Salle University in Manila. The four belong to well-to-do families.

“There was no deep-rooted reason for their attack on the American. Nakalalake lang. (Their egos were just bruised),” Lukban told the INQUIRER.

Based on the information gathered by police investigators, the four were in a silver Volvo (TOJ 886) and were being checked by a security guard at the gate of Rockwell Center on Kalayaan Avenue when Anikow, who at that time was believed to be drunk, approached them and spoke up.

“You need to present your ID, the guard is checking you,” Anikow told the men in the Volvo car, according to the Rockwell security guard.

The men ignored him but Abastilla, who was the driver, asked the American what his name was, the guard added.

He said that Abastilla and the other passengers in the Volvo lost their cool when the American gave their vehicle a hard tap. The four then alighted from the vehicle and ganged up on the victim.

“The victim was able to run away but the attackers caught up with him and mauled him again,” the police said.

It was also at this point that the victim was stabbed. He slumped to the ground, bleeding from his wounds.

Before fleeing, one of his attack- ers told the security guard: “Don’t tell anyone what you saw. Don’t write down our plate number, that man is a hoodlum.”

Chief Supt. Benito Estipona, director of the Southern Police District, said the four were arrested after three teams of mobile policemen on patrol were alerted by Rockwell security guards and blocked the Volvo somewhere on Estrella Street in Barangay Poblacion, Makati City.

A bloodstained tactical knife was found in the front passenger seat of the vehicle.

Lukban said the US Embassy officials have been in constant contact with the Makati police after learning about the incident.

“They are looking forward to the immediate filing of the case,” he added.

The victim, a dependent of one of the officers of the US Embassy, was waiting to be recalled to duty, the police said.

Lukban said the Makati police filed charges of murder, a nonbailable offense, instead of homicide since the attackers chased the victim “with the intent to kill.”

A copy of the footage from a closed-circuit television camera installed at the Rockwell gate has been obtained by the police and would be submitted as evidence against the four men.