Filtered By: Topstories
News

Ifugao cops assess Duntugan statements on Campbell slay


A day after he surrendered to them, Ifugao provincial police has started scrutinizing the statements of woodcarver Juan Duntugan, who confessed to killing US Peace Corps volunteer Julia Campbell. Ifugao provincial police chief Sr. Supt. Pedro Ganir said Saturday they are now comparing Duntugan's statement with those of witnesses for possible inconsistencies. "Assess namin kung nag-jibe ang statement sa statement ng witness, pwede ang kanyang pahayag. Titingnan kung totoo ang nangyari (We are assessing the statement and comparing it with those of witnesses. We want to see what really happened)," Ganir said in an interview on dzRH radio. He said they will also check if Duntugan has a history of drug use that could explain his violent "reaction" to Campbell. Duntugan surrendered to the police Friday more than two weeks after Campbell was reported missing while hiking in Batad, Banaue, Ifugao in northern Luzon. Campbell's body was found buried in a shallow grave April 18. Campbell's remains had been cremated and her ashes will be flown to her relatives in Fairfax, Virginia, USA. Initially, Duntugan claimed that when Campbell bumped him from behind, he mistook her for his enemy who tried to attack him. Ganir said that while they have verified that Duntugan had an enemy, they want to see why Duntugan reacted so violently. "Base sa statement ng witness, meron silang alitan. Isip niya that time ang kagalit niya ... Tingnan natin kung may history ng marijuana o bawal na gamot (Witnesses said he indeed had enemies so we want to see if he has a history of drug use)," he said. In the meantime, he said Duntugan will be detained at the provincial police headquarters. He also said they are still studying whether to file homicide or murder charges against him. - GMANews.TV

LOADING CONTENT