‘Dead man is just one of many possible suspects'

THERE is no clear evidence yet that would link Roland Betillo to the death of Agus, Lapu-Lapu City Barangay Captain Jovencio Lauron last May 3.

Police Regional Office 7 Director Prudencio Tom Bañas said that Bentillo's is just “one of the many names” that surfaced as possible suspects in the ambush-slay of Lauron in Clarin, Bohol.

Lauron was shot dead by two unidentified men on motorcycles when he was with relatives and friends in a tricycle bound for Sagbayan town.

An intelligence report received by the Bohol Provincial Police Office (BPPO) earlier identified Bentillo as a suspect, but Bañas said this has yet to be verified by witnesses.

Identify

"We informed Atty. Beverly Lauron, who is the daughter of the barangay captain, that the man might be one of the suspects and we asked them if, hopefully, they can help in identifying (them)," Bañas said.

Bañas ordered the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) 7 to let Lauron's relatives and friends, who were with him when he was slain, look at a photo of Bentillo.

Chief Insp. Teodoro Santos Jr., provincial head of CIDG Bohol, earlier asked the witnesses to go to Buenavista, Bohol to identify Bentillo's body.

Bañas, however, asked if the CIDG Bohol can just submit photos of Bentillo to the family of Lauron through electronic mail because it is not safe for the witnesses to travel from Lapu-Lapu City to Bohol again.

Bentillo, 31, was about to be served with a search warrant by the BPPO Provincial Intelligence Branch in his house in the mountain barangay of Overland, Buenavista in Bohol past 9 a.m. last Thursday.

But Bentillo reportedly ran away with another man identified as Fortunato Demil, 51, when he saw the cops coming.

Fired

They reportedly fired their guns at the policemen, who later killed the two in a five-minute shootout.

A firearm was recovered from each of them.

Senior Insp. Jesus Daplin, chief of the Clarin Police Station in Bohol, said that the firearms were brought to the crime laboratory to check if these match with the empty shells found in the area where Lauron was shot dead.

Another man in Bentillo's house was arrested for alleged possession of at least eight sachets of suspected shabu and drug paraphernalia.

He was identified as Edwin Martorillas, 19.

Bañas, as of yesterday, was waiting for the complete report from the BPPO.

"I have not received the complete report. They were pinpointing Bentillo but the details are still sketchy,” said Bañas.

DTJ