CEBU CITY — “Nganong gipatay nimo among igsuon! Demonyo kang dako! (Why did you kill our sister! You’re evil!)”

TOCMO sisters Roche and Grace confront Simeon Gabutero inside the Labangon Police Station on Tuesday, August 15. (Screenshot)

 

This yell in anguish reverberated around the Labangon Police Station when the family of Rhea Tocmo finally faced her killer on Tuesday, August 15.

Roche Tocmo and Grace Tocmo-Alad-ad struggled to contain their emotions when they  faced Simeon Gabutero, the construction worker who admitted killing Rhea Mae.

Accompanied by their father, Roche and Grace met Gabutero almost a month after their sister was found dead stuffed in a cardboard box that was dumped by the road in Barangay Tisa here.

Gabutero admitted choking Rhea Mae to death in a fit of jealousy.

He said he and Rhea Mae became lovers last December 5.

The suspect said he lost his temper when he discovered that Rhea Mae was chatting with other men.

The Tocmo sisters refuted Gabutero’s claim that he and Rhea Mae were lovers.

“Dili ka patulgon sa akong manghod hantod dili ka mamatay sa konsensiya! Labaw pa sa hayop ang imong gibuhat sa akong manghod, brutal kaayo! (My sister will not let you sleep until you die because of guilt! You killed my sister like an animal, very brutal!)” one of the sisters yelled.

While the Tocmo sisters let out their emotions, Gabutero, with his head bowed, just stood in the corner of the detention cell.  

Gabutero was asked if he wanted to say something to the Tocmo sisters.

“Pasayloa ko (I’m sorry),” Gabutero curtly said.

Gabutero seeking forgiveness hardly appeased the Tocmos.

“Sayon ra kaayo litokon sa imoha ang pasaylo, wala ka kabalo sa among gibati (It’s easy for you to ask forgiveness, you don’t know how I feel),” Roche said.

Roche had to be attended by medical personnel after she passed out after their encounter with the suspect.

Interviewed by reporters after meeting with the Tocmos, Gabutero reiterated his appeal to be forgiven.

“Og dili mapasaylo sa kining pagka sentensiya pwede nako isugal akong kinabuhi para mapasaylo ko nila, andam ko mamatay (If being sentenced to jail is not enough for them to forgive me, I am willing to give up my life. I am ready to die),” said Gabutero.

Before facing the suspect, the Tocmos were briefed by Labangon Police Station chief Police Major Angelito Valleser on the progress of the case.

Valleser presented to the Tocmos the pieces of evidence that they gathered linking Gabutero to the crime.

Security camera footage showing the time when Rhea traveled to Gabutero’s boarding house in Barangay Guadalupe and the time that the suspect dumped the victim’s body were presented to the Tocmos.

Valleser said charges against Gabutero are expected to be filed within the week.