CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY — Police said it has already filed charges against the suspect in the January 1 rape-slay case of a 17-year-old girl.
Formal charges were filed against Ric Jan Polinar, 21, for the rape and killing of Jera Mae “Sophia” Lumacang, a resident of Brgy. Puntod, on Thursday, said Police Insp. Edgar Villanueva.
Villanueva said the filing of charges against Polinar was based on the testimonies of the suspect’s cousin, Eric Polinar, 18, and a friend of the victim whose identity is being withheld for security reasons.
Eric told investigators that the victim was last seen with the suspect before she was found dead in a secluded area in Brgy. Puntod.
Eric said he, the suspect, the victim and another friend were on a drinking session hours before authorities recovered her body.
The victim, naked from the waist down, was inside a rice sack when her body was recovered by the police. A black underwear and a hammer, believed to be the weapon used in the killing, were also found at the crime scene.
Police said the victim succumbed to multiple wounds on her head and face, and probably met her violent death between 12 midnight and 1 a.m. of Jan. 1.
Sought for his side, however, Ric Jan denied the crime and turned the tables on his cousin, saying it was Eric who was last seen with the victim after their drinking session.
He said he was willing to undergo lie detector and DNA test to prove his innocence. (Jigger J. Jerusalem/PNA)
