The 17-year-old suspect in the gruesome killing of Christine Lee Silawan has been released from the custody of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) on Saturday due to warrantless arrest.
The Lapu-Lapu City Prosecutor’s Office ordered the released of the minor suspect because he was arrested without a warrant days after the crime, as per the motion filed by Lawyer Vincent Isle.
Warrantless arrest is only allowed in three instances — if a criminal escaped from prison, if a crime is committed in the presence of a police officer, or if an arresting officer has personal knowledge about the crime.
The release of the suspect was also confirmed by his mother.
Meanwhile, Silawan’s family is dismayed over the suspect’s release.
Earlier reports stated that the suspect was nabbed by the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) in Maribago, Lapu-Lapu City on March 16.
NBI did not disclose the name of the suspect as he is a minor but text messages and security footages helped them track his whereabouts.
However, the mother of the suspect strongly denied that her son has any involvement in the brutal crime.
In another interview with SunStar Superbalita Cebu, the mother of the 17-year-old said that her son is not a killer and the CCTV footage that the NBI released does not prove anything since it did not show his face.
The mother also said that her son was not even with Silawan on the day she got killed. He also was not at the scene of the crime when the murder happened.
She claimed that her son played basketball, helped fix their house’s roof, ate dinner, and then slept on the night of the crime.
The mother added that her son and Silawan were indeed a couple but they only lasted for a week.
NBI also said that jealousy is seen as the primary motive behind the murder.
NBI Region VII director Attorney Tomas Enrile said in an interview with Dobol B sa News TV that the 17-year-old suspect already admitted to the crime, although without the assistance of a lawyer.
Photo: Cebu Daily News
