Suspect in killing of Charice's dad faces murder complaint

UPDATED 1:30 p.m. - A construction worker linked to the killing of the father of international singing sensation Charice Pempengco was charged with murder in Laguna on Friday. Radio dzBB's Sam Nielsen reported that the police filed with provincial prosecutor George Dy at the San Pedro Hall of Justice a murder complaint against suspect Angel Capili Jr. San Pedro police head Superintendent Kirby Kraft presented three witnesses, including a watchman and two bystanders, the report said. Under tight security on Friday morning, Capili was brought to the provincial prosecutor's office in San Pedro, Laguna to be charged for the fatal stabbing of Ricky Pempengco, 43, before midnight on October 31. While they do not consider him a high-risk detainee, the police in Laguna said they are taking extra measures to secure the suspect as they are not discounting the possibility that Capili could be harmed by Charice's fans, radio dzBB said. Meanwhile, the report said Capili's lawyer will work to downgrade the charges against him from murder to homicide. The report quoted lawyer Donna Cabanlas as saying the killing was not planned. Capili had insisted he killed Pempengco in self-defense. Suspect surrenders On Thursday, Capili surrendered to authorities in Cavite and requested for protection for himself and his family. The initial investigation showed that Capili stabbed Pempengco while the victim was buying cigarettes from a store. Capili went into hiding after the killing but surfaced after a P200,000 reward was put up for information leading to his arrest. Charice's family reunites Mr. Pempengco's death prompted Charice, who was scheduled to take part in a concert abroad, to rush home to the Philippines. Earlier, a word war erupted between Charice and her estranged father's relatives. However, the family reconciled during the wake for Mr. Pempengco. Russell Mejia, Charice’s aunt, said the death of Mr. Pempengco paved the way for the family to reunite. “Sa ngayon, naging maganda kasi nagkaisa kaming magpamilya. ‘Yung side ni Charice, ‘yung side namin, nagkaisa dahil sa kanya [Mr. Pempengco]," Mejia said in an interview aired over GMA News TV’s News To Go on Wednesday. In an interview on Tuesday, Mejia said that she had felt bad towards Charice for supposedly disregarding her father after rising to popularity. For her part, Charice said through her Twitter page that she had always wanted to visit her father while he was alive. She said her father’s siblings did not allow her to do so, even telling her not to use his surname. She has since deleted the antagonistic tweets. In a statement upon her arrival in the Philippines early Wednesday morning, the international singer said she is still thankful to her father despite the short time they had spent together. “Whatever happened in the past, siya pa rin ‘yung daddy ko. I don’t know how I’m going to move on," she said. - RJMD/VVP, GMA News