PNP eyeing state witness in murder of Pinay, Israeli

MANILA, Philippines — One of the suspects in the killing of Pampanga beauty queen Geneva Lopez and her Israeli boyfriend Yitshak Cohen could be a state witness, according to the Philippine National Police (PNP).

The suspect, given the alias “Junjun,” drove the victims’ vehicle to an abandoned quarry site in Barangay Sta. Lucia in Capas, Tarlac, where their remains were found.

He also burned the vehicle as allegedly instructed by former cop Michael Guiang, tagged as the mastermind.

Junjun led police officers to the burial site and narrated what he witnessed, including how Lopez and Cohen were shot inside their vehicle.

Before becoming a state witness, Junjun should first be charged as a suspect, PNP chief publicist Col. Jean Fajardo said at a news briefing in Camp Crame.

Two counts of murder against former patrolmen Guiang and Rommel Abuso and other suspects are expected to be filed in the next few days.

Their motive was reportedly rooted in a land dispute.