PNP files murder raps vs 5 individuals in beauty queen slay case

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine National Police-Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (PNP-CIDG) has filed murder complaints against five individuals allegedly involved in the killing of beauty queen Geneva Lopez and her Israeli boyfriend, Yitshak Cohen.

In an ambush interview with the press on Thursday, PNP-CIDG legal division head Thomas Valmonte said the agency filed two counts of murder before the Department of Justice against five individuals, two of whom are former policemen.

“They held a meeting; that's why there are allegations of conspiracy. They met and planned the actual killing of the two victims,” Valmonte said in Filipino.

According to the CIDG’s legal chief, two of the respondents shot the couple while one disposed of and buried their bodies. However, Valmonte did not disclose the identities of the accused.

According to Valmonte, the motive for the killing of the couple involved a land in Tarlac that was pawned to them by the respondents.

“Based on the investigation, the land was pawned by the respondents to the victims. It seems like they wanted to take back the land documents from the victims. However, the victims didn't want to return them because, of course, they had given money, so the money should be returned to them,” the CIDG legal chief said in Filipino.

Valmonte also said that the respondents had a buyer lined up, which led the two victims to the location where they were subsequently guided to the place where the plan to kill them was carried out.

It could be recalled that Lopez and her boyfriend, Yitshak Cohen, were reported missing on June 22.

On July 6, their decomposing bodies were discovered in Barangay Sta. Lucia, Capas, Tarlac. Both sustained gunshot wounds, according to the Scene of the Crime Operation.