A woman and her three alleged cohorts were arrested on Sunday over the killing of her husband in San Miguel, Bulacan, police reported Monday.
Col. Charlie Cabradilla, acting Bulacan police director, said suspect Maricel Beltran was arrested for allegedly masterminding the murder of her husband, Ryan Beltran, 39, a businessman, of Barangay Maligaya, San Miguel, Bulacan.
Also nabbed were Benjie Garcia, the alleged hired gunman; his cohort Romie de Guzman, and Anthony Velasquez, the victim’s foster son.
According to San Miguel police, they were able to establish the roles of Maricel and Velasquez in the death of Ryan through the text messages on their cellphones.
Initial investigation showed that Ryan, a fishpond owner, was shot dead in his sleep by a gunman at about 11 p.m. on Aug. 27, Saturday, just after his wife went to the restroom in their rest house.
The victim was rushed to a hospital in Gapan, Nueva Ecija where he was declared dead on arrival.
Police invited Maricel and Velasquez to give their statements at the police station, where they were asked to submit their cellular phones as part of the investigation.
The duo surrendered their cellphones, but they immediately left the police station.
When police read the text messages on the cellphones, they learned that it was Maricel who hired the gunman to assassinate her husband.
According to Lt. Col. Jason San Pedro, chief of San Miguel Police, they immediately conducted a series of operations that led to the arrest of the four suspects.
After their arrest, Maricel and Velasquez admitted their involvement in the crime in the presence of a lawyer and some members of the media.
Garcia, the alleged hired gunman, was caught in Barangay Pulong Bayabas, also in San Miguel town. Seized from him were a .45-caliber gun and a hand grenade.
Garcia’s alleged cohort, De Guzman, was arrested in Barangay Kalawakan, Dona Remedios Trinidad. He yielded a .38-caliber pistol.
Carbanilla said the timely response and operations of the Bulacan PNP led to the speedy resolution of the case and arrest of the suspects. (Freddie C. Velez)