Campbell slay suspect surrenders, admits crime

By Ronron
April 27, 2007

A woodcarver in Ifugao province who is suspected to be the killer of US Peace Corps volunteer Julia Campbell surrendered to police Friday afternoon and admitted he committed the crime.

Supt. Joseph Adnol, spokesman of the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR) Police, said Juan Duntogan, 25, was surrendered by his mother, Jane, before the Ifugao Police Provincial Office in Lagawe town past 3:30 pm yesterday.

“He admitted he killed Campbell… He is the culprit,” Ifugao Police Provincial Office Director Sr. Supt. Pedro Ganir said in Filipino in a separate interview.

Ganir, however, has yet to learn Duntogan’s motivation, saying the interrogation on him, in the company of his lawyer, is still ongoing as of press time.

Asked about the bag of Campbell, which was last seen with Duntogan on April 8, Ganir said: “He threw it somewhere that he said he could not recall.”

Duntogan became a possible suspect after a 10-year-old child positively identified the woodcarver as the guy carrying Campbell’s bag on April 8, the day Campbell was last seen alive in Barangay Battad, Banaue town.

Ganir said Duntogan looked “guilty” when he showed up at the police station yesterday afternoon.

“I think he is already bothered by his conscience,” Ganir said when asked what could have convinced Duntogan to give his self up.

In an earlier interview, Adnol said they have asked Duntogan’s mother, Jane, to help them convince her son to surrender.

“We have asked her mother to convince Juan to surrender because it’s going to be better for him, and it will give him the chance to clear his name,” Adnol said.

“We hope he will contribute for the enlightenment of everybody on what really happened. We hope he’ll tell the truth,” he added.

Ganir said Duntogan will no longer be allowed to leave the police office because he voluntarily surrendered and he already made an admission.

Ganir said Duntogan could be charged with robbery with homicide.

The police officer agreed that it was good timing that Duntogan surrendered yesterday because last Thursday, the laboratory examinations on some material pieces of evidence in the case yielded negative for fingerprints and traces of blood, which could give them a lead about the suspect.

Campbell, 40, of Virginia, was found dead last April 18 at Barangay Battad. She started serving as a peace corps volunteer in the country in March 2005./DMS