Suspect in Ruby Rose killing wants murder charges dropped

Businessman Lope Jimenez on Thursday asked the Department of Justice (DOJ) to remove his name from the charge sheet in connection with the Mafia-like killing of Ruby Rose Barrameda, sister of former actress and beauty queen Rochelle Barrameda. In a 36-page petition for review, Jimenez said the DOJ “gravely erred" for solely basing its decision on the testimony of Manuel Montero, a suspect who later became a vital witness in the case. "It is really the biggest travesty of justice to squander away the liberty of the petitioner on the mere say so of an admitted murderer," the petition said. The petitioner asked Justice Secretary Agnes Devanadera to “take Montero’s testimony with a grain of salt since it came from a polluted source," pointing out that the supposed witness kept quiet about the alleged crime for more than two years “and now he suddenly appears and tells the whole world about his dastardly act." Lope is the brother of Manuel Jimenez Jr., Ruby Rose’s father-in-law who is also a suspect in the crime. Manuel Jr. recently turned himself up to the police while the rest of the accused, including Lope, remain at large. The case against his son, Manuel III, Ruby Rose's estranged husband, was dismissed due to lack of evidence. Ruby Rose’s body was fished out of Navotas waters inside a cemented drum. She had been missing since 2007. Montero, who surrendered to the police on May 18, 2009, had admitted his involvement in the killing and pointed to the Jimenezes as the masterminds. He was also the one who led investigators to the location of Ruby Rose’s remains. In the DOJ resolution, panel chair Theodore Villanueva said Montero’s "positive" identification of Manuel (Jr.) and Lope Jimenez as masterminds and the other respondents were sufficient to establish that they had a hand in the crime. But the petitioner said the DOJ had failed to establish his supposed motive for the killing. Lope also said there was no definitive proof as to the identity of the body found inside the steel drum. - GMANews.TV