By Jeffrey Damicog
Two men wanted for the killing of a United States Marines officer have been arrested by the National Bureau Investigation (NBI).
NBI presents the two suspects, identified as Galicano Datu Salas and Crispin Dela Paz, in the killing of US Marines Major George Anikow in Makati last November 2012. (ALI VICOY / MANILA BULLETIN)
NBI director Dante Gierran identified the two arrested fugitives as Galicano Datu III and Crispin Dela Paz, both convicted of homicide in the killing of US Marines Maj. George Anikow during a brawl in Bel-Air Subdivision, Makati City in 2012.
Gierran said the two fugitives were arrested in separate operations by agents of the NBI’s International Operations Division (NBI-IOD) with the help of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the US Embassy.
The NBI served arrest warrants issued against them on April 18 by Makati City regional trial court (RTC) Judge Winlove Dumayas
“Through continuous efforts and various ways to gather information from other sources, the subjects were arrested in isolated places different from the addresses stated on the warrant, as the subjects were deliberately hiding to evade arrest,” the NBI said in a statement.
Datu was arrested on June 12 at the condominium of his live-in partner in Mandaluyong City.
During the operation, the NBI also arrested Datu’s uncle, Jimmy Boy David who has been charged with obstruction of justice.
While, Dela Paz was caught on June 14 in Marikina City following a car chase that started from San Pedro, Laguna where he has been hiding with his live-in partner.
On the other hand, the Supreme Court (SC) has dismissed in April Dumayas for gross ignorance of the law and gross misconduct for having downgraded the charges against Datu and Dela Paz from murder to homicide which carries lesser penalties.