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MANILA – The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) said on Wednesday it identified 4 “persons of interest” in the murder of former Court of Appeal judge Normandie Pizarro, who was recently confirmed as the man found dead in Capas, Tarlac in October.
“We found out that they were possible suspects or witnesses later on,” NBI spokesman Ferdinand Lavin told ANC’s “Matters of Fact.”
Among these persons of interest is a man who was last seen along with Pizarro in a security recording at a hotel and casino in Clark, Pampanga, on Oct. 23, he said.
The man, who Lavin described as “in his senior year,” allegedly owed the former judge money ranging from P100,000 to P200,000. The two met at a casino in August.
Lavin said the man was “very cooperative” with the NBI, but was found to have made contradictory statements during the investigation.
“Mayroon pa siyang scared, alanganin pa siya (Still scared, still hesitant) … He’s holding back, he’s not saying everything … If we compare the pieces of evidence we gathered on the ground, I doubt kami (we are suspects ) because some of the information cannot be validated, “he said.
The other “persons of interest” the NBI is pursuing are the godfather of one of Pizarro’s children, the godfather’s acquaintance and a woman close to the former judge, Lavin said.
“We are looking at practically all angles … and we do not rule out the possibility that 2, 3 or all persons of concern have conspired to kill justice,” he added.
Pizarro’s body was recovered in the city of Capas on October 30, a week after his disappearance. As his body had already deteriorated, the NBI forensic team recently confirmed the identity of the former magistrate using a DNA test.
The retired judge was shot in the back of the ear and the bullet exited through the upper left of his head, Lavin said. Pizarro’s right hand was also cut off and the fingers of his left hand were cut off, he added.
“We have not been able to establish if they shot him first or if they cut off his hands first because when we accessed the body it was already deteriorating,” said the NBI official.
Pizarro retired in February 2018, a year before his mandatory retirement.
He became controversial after dismissing the murder case against former Palawan Governor Joel Reyes, who was accused of murdering environmentalist and radio host Dr. Gerry Ortega.
However, the Court of Appeals reversed the ruling and reinstated the murder charge in November 2019.
Pizarro also acquitted the “queen of the pig barrel”, Janet Lim Napoles, of a serious illegal detention based on reasonable doubts in May 2017, and rejected a Hawaiian court ruling that awarded $ 2 billion in compensation to the victims. of Martial Law.
In April 2018, the Supreme Court fined Pizarro 100,000 pesos for improper conduct by a member of the judiciary in cases of gambling in a casino.
RELATED VIDEO
ANC, Matters of Fact, Normandie Pizarro murder of 4 persons of interest, Magistrate Normandie Pizarro, Court of Appeals, CA, persons of interest, NBI, National Bureau of Investigation, Pizarro murder Capas Tarlac, Capas, Tarlac
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