BACOLOD CITY — A man, who claimed to be under the influence of drugs, stabbed to death his six-year-old nephew at their residence in Purok Sigay, Barangay Singcang-Airport here around midnight on Friday.
Police identified the suspect as Arnel Antonio, a pedicab driver, who was arrested in the adjacent neighborhood about 4 a.m. on Saturday.
According to a report from the Police Station 8, the victim, who was identified only as a “Nonoy”, succumbed to at least 22 stab wounds when his uncle attacked him using a buckle knife.
Antonio, in interviews with various radio stations while detained at Police Station 8, admitted he used illegal drugs the day before and he was unable to sleep. The suspect said he thought he was dreaming when he committed the crime and only later realized that it was his nephew that he was stabbing.
The police is still investigating and confirming the age of the suspect as they were having difficulty questioning him for being incoherent.
Cherilyn Salgado, a sister of the suspect, said in a radio interview the boy stayed with his uncle in the house adjacent to her family’s.
Around midnight, she was awakened by a cry, and when she went to the other house, she saw her brother stabbing their nephew.
The suspect fled but was arrested by the police hours later.
The boy’s father, Rene, who is the elder brother of the suspect, is separated from his wife and is working in Cebu. The victim’s mother is based in Metro Manila. When the boy’s father learned about the incident, he traveled home to Bacolod immediately.
Village chief Rosinie Distrito said in another radio interview that based on barangay records, the suspect has not been involved in illegal activity and is also not included on the list of drug users.
The suspect should be charged and jailed, he said, adding that the incident is an example of the adverse effects of illegal drugs, considering that the suspect himself claimed to be a drug user.
Distrito also said the barangay assisted the victim’s family by shouldering the funeral expenses. (Nanette Guadalquiver/PNA)
