BAGUIO CITY – The family and relatives of Juliet Bajar Hesim, who was killed and buried in a garage in Barangay Alfonso Tabora in this city, are hoping justice will finally be served now that two of the suspects in the murder have surrendered to the police.
"I hope that the death penalty will be reinstated and if not, they will rot in jail for justice for our family, especially for our two children," said Juliet’s partner, Jomar Ventura.
Ventura, and the victim's father, brother, and twin brother, went to the Baguio City Police Office on Thursday afternoon, Sept. 8, to formally file their complaint in the case now awaiting to be filed in the court.
The suspects, Reneval N. Ponce, 31, and his partner, Babylyn Salvador, 22, who were renting in a boarding house not far from where the victim was dumped, voluntarily went to the Manila Police District-Homicide Section to surrender, one week after the crime.
The naked body of Juliet ‘Shane’ Hesim, 22, who hailed from Balibago, Angeles City, Pampanga, was found in a garage in Barangay Alfonso Tabora in Baguio City on Aug. 30.
Lt. Angeline Dongpaen, spokesperson of Baguio City Police Office, said the suspects voluntarily surrendered due to conscience and were not arrested as first reported on social media.
It was learned that Ponce agreed to submit himself for an Extra-Judicial confession.
The victim’s grieving father, Jose Hesim, was emotional, saying that what the criminals did to his daughter is unforgivable and that they want to do the same to her killers.
According to Ventura, he does not know the suspects, who agreed to make their confessions anytime now.
Lt. Dongpaen said the suspects' statements at the moment are still being recorded and the suspects have not yet made a clear statement on whether they will face the media or even the victim's families.
"It's up to the suspect's lawyer or if he wants to appear, so let's just wait and at the moment we don't have any information on his statement as to what it contains,” said Lt. Dongpaen.
Maj Manuel Canipas, chief of BCPO Station 2 who is also in charge of the case, said they will just wait for the so-called extra-judicial confession of Ponce so that the motive of the killing can be clarified and the other suspect identified.