Gun recovered from Aves tested positive on Kusaka killing

By Ronron
December 17, 2007

The police in Cebu announced on Monday the positive finding of a technical examination on the gun recovered from alleged gunman-for-hire Aristotle Aves during his arrest last December 3 at a Mandaue City port as the one used to kill Japanese businessman Hiroshi Kusaka.

Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) Region VII Director Sr. Supt. Jose Jorge Corpuz told Manila Shimbun in a phone interview yesterday that the latest development provided police investigators another piece of evidence that they can use to file criminal charges against the suspects in the November 13 killing of Kusaka in Mandaue City.

“We have a positive matching of evidence from the crime scene (of the Kusaka killing case) and the caliber 45 recovered from Aves when he was arrested at the ferry,” Corpuz said.

He said the ballistics and cross-matching examination of the caliber 45 and the recovered pieces of evidence was conducted by Chief Insp. Romer Daguno of the Region VII Crime Laboratory.

Aves, the number one most wanted criminal in Cebu City who started as a hitman of the Alpha Kappa Rho (AKRHO) fraternity, was on a Super Shuttle Ferry at a pier 8 in Mandaue City when police caught him. He was with fellow AKRHO member Jesus Singson, Jr. at that time.

Confiscated from Aves was a caliber 45 pistol and two magazines containing 12 live rounds of ammunition. On the other hand, police seized from Singson some plastic packs containing suspected shabu.

In a sworn statement last December 5, Singson said he heard Aves and other cohorts to have been involved with the killing of Kusaka. Kusaka, who was riding a van, was shot dead by two motorcycle-riding suspects in the morning of November 13 while he was on his way to the Mactan International Airport.

Mandaue City Police chief Sr. Supt. Rodel Calungsud said Aves was allegedly the gunman in that operation, while fellow AKRHO member Jose Mari Temblon, who was arrested last December 14, served as driver. Both have denied the allegations.

While Singson denied any involvement in the killing of Kusaka, he admitted taking part in killing another Japanese national, Taro Suda, last July 18, also in Mandaue City, together with Aves and fellow AKRHO member Brando Ramirez, who is still at large.

The gun used by Ramirez in that incident had already been turned over by Singson and was proven also to have been the used to kill Suda. The gun, as well as the motorcycle used in that operation, was volunteered by Singson.

At the site were Kusaka was killed, police recovered three empty shells and one slug of a caliber 45.

Corpuz said that aside from the testimony of Singson, they now have two pieces of physical evidence against Aves and his cohorts on the Kusaka killing case – the motorcycle that was surrendered by Singson, and the caliber 45 pistol.

“Hopefully, we can already file the case within this week with regard to the Kusaka killing. We are just completing the package,” Corpuz said.

He even pointed out that the same gun was allegedly used in killing a local businessman in Mandaue City last October 2005, which he said could be another gun-for-hire job of Aves, and of an ordinary person involved allegedly in illegal drugs operations last February of this year in Cebu City.

Corpuz, however, remains clueless as to the real mastermind and motive in the Kusaka killing case, saying that Aves is not cooperative in their investigation.

“Our efforts now is geared at recovering other firearms and more amenities and identifying the masterminds,” he said.

Aves has been brought to the Cebu City Jail after his arrest because there are arrest warrants already issued against him for previous killing incidents, mostly related to fraternity wars.

Singson, on the other hand, remains under the custody of the CIDG VII since he was only charged before the prosecutor’s office with possession of illegal drugs./DMS