3 suspects charged in kidnap-slay of ex-Leyte vice mayor, son

TACLOBAN CITY — The Philippine National Police (PNP) has filed two counts of kidnapping with double homicide against three suspects in the death of former Abuyog, Leyte vice mayor James Bohol and his son, Carlo, as investigators expressed confidence that they have built a strong case against the accused.

The charges were filed on Thursday before the Office of the Provincial Prosecutor in Abuyog against Mark James Taboy, 30; Kim Solayao, 27; and Reniel Galza, 24, all residents of Basey, Samar.

The three suspects are currently under police custody at the Mayorga Municipal Police Station after they surrendered to authorities in Pasay City late Monday night, June 30.

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READ: 3 surrender, confess to murder of ex-Leyte vice mayor, son

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Police said the filing of charges came less than a week after the gruesome killings, underscoring what investigators described as the strength of the evidence gathered, including forensic findings, witness accounts, and the suspects’ movements before and after the crime.

Bohol, 60, and his son Carlo, 30, were reported missing after they were allegedly abducted from their warehouse in Mayorga, Leyte, on June 27.

Their bodies were recovered three days later, on the morning of June 30, in a ravine in Barangay Imelda, Silago, Southern Leyte, following an intensive search and police investigation. Authorities later confirmed through forensic and medico-legal examinations that the recovered bodies were those of the missing father and son.

Col. Celerino Sacro, Leyte police director,  said investigators believe the suspects had intended to flee to avoid prosecution after the crime.

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“Based on the timeline, they were really planning to escape,” Sacro said in a media conference Thursday.

Police said the victims were allegedly abducted in Mayorga, transported through Abuyog, and later dumped in the remote area of Silago, Southern Leyte. Investigators tracked the suspects to Pasay City, where they eventually surrendered before local police.

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Authorities have yet to determine why the suspects traveled to Pasay or whether they intended to leave Metro Manila for another destination.

The filing of charges came despite claims by Taboy in a circulating video that the deaths resulted from an act of self-defense and that there had been no intention to kill the victims.

READ: Suspect in slay of ex-Leyte vice mayor, son claims self-defense

Lt. Col. Annaliza Centeno, legal officer of the Leyte Police Provincial Office, dismissed the claim, saying it would ultimately be up to the court to determine the validity of the suspect’s defense.

“That is his defense, but it will be the court that will determine whether it was indeed an act of self-defense,” Centeno said. Taboy claimed that the young Bohol had threatened to kill their families.

Medico-legal examination showed that the former vice mayor sustained three stab wounds to the neck, while his son suffered six stab wounds, also in the neck, indicating the violence of the attack.

Investigators declined to identify which of the three suspects inflicted the fatal wounds, saying the matter would form part of the prosecution’s evidence during trial.

Police are also pursuing the motive behind the killings.

READ: Ex-vice mayor, son confirmed dead; cops intensify hunt for killers

Centeno said one of the primary angles being examined is an alleged unpaid loan of Taboy from the former vice mayor.

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“That is one of the motives that we are considering,” she said, adding that investigators are also looking into other possible motives but declined to disclose details to avoid compromising the ongoing case./coa