Find ‘Cj Diaz,’ real killer in Silawan slay
THE National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) 7 is asserting it has “scientific evidence” to prove its case against the 17-year-old suspect in the murder of Christine Lee Silawan, and will ask Facebook to recover the deleted messages that will prove the child’s culpability.
This as the suspect’s counsel, lawyer Vincent Isles, questioned the NBI’s linking of the “Cj Diaz” Facebook account to his client when Diaz mentions an elder sister which his client does not have.
NBI 7 Director Tomas Enrile said upon examination of the suspect’s account, they found that the latter had deleted his conversation with Silawan, but this could still be seen in Silawan’s Facebook Messenger account.
“Perhaps, later on, you will be surprised by our initial findings about this case. Probably, those who claimed that the suspect, at his age of 17 years old, is too innocent to commit that crime. Once you read the conversations, your viewpoint will change. Right now, we cannot divulge it,” Enrile said.
He said they had already coordinated with the Scene of the Crime Operatives of the Police Regional Office 7 for the custody of the evidence for scientific examination.
A “clothing of interest” and a cellphone were recovered from the boy. The cap had traces of blood, while the screen of the phone bore a crack which might have resulted from a fight.
Counter-affidavit
Isles said they will submit their counter-affidavit before the prosecutor’s office, disproving the allegations against his client.
Isles said the CCTV videos presented by the NBI 7 to the reporters were not authenticated.
The videos showing two persons walking side by side were also not clear, Isles said.
“Granted it was Christine who was walking, no one of the two witnesses could identify that her companion was the suspect. (And) even if it was indeed them, the fact that they were together a few minutes before the crime is not an indication that he really committed the crime. There’s already a Supreme Court decision on that. Is there proof beyond reasonable doubt with that?” Isles said.
Isles said a certain CJ Diaz sent messages to Silawan through Facebook Messenger a few hours before the victim was murdered.
In a Facebook post on Wednesday, March 20, Isles said instead of insisting that his client “owned and controlled” the account, the NBI should identify “who is really behind” the account.
“The real killer is still out there, and we are spending government resources on following a false lead, destroying one more life in the process,” Isles said.
Enrile, however, countered that his investigators had gathered evidence that it was the suspect who communicated with Silawan on Sunday night, March 10.
But Isles, in another post, criticized the NBI for “demonizing” his client “in the mind of the public with ‘evidence’ that does not exist.”
“If it exists, you should have included that from the very start,” Isles further said.
On Wednesday, March 20, the cybercrime division personnel went to Silawan’s residence and took blood samples from the victim’s parents for the Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) testing.
The blood samples will be compared to the bloodstain found on a shirt and cap seized by the NBI 7 agents from the suspect’s house.
Agents saw a wound on John’s face, which they believe was possibly inflicted by Silawan, who resisted the perpetrator.
The suspect tested negative for drug use, but Enrile said he was not surprised by the result.
Enrile denied they competed with the police in solving the murder, saying the NBI 7 and police have coordinated with each other since the start of the investigation.
Camp Crame announced that the NBI is the lead agency in handling Silawan’s case as the latter caught the suspect.
Enrile, however, said there is no need for the NBI to be labeled as the lead agency as they need the help of the police, adding that they are not going after the P2 million reward. /