Couple who paid gun-for-hire cop named

POLICE official leading the investigation in the contract killing of a businesswoman in Las Piñas City last December 10 by rogue cops from the Calabarzon regional police office, identified a couple from Cavite province as among the principal suspects in the incident.

Supt. Romulo Sapitula, Las Piñas City chief of police, in a talk with People’s Tonight, identified the couple as Ruben and Julita Casapao, residents of Soldiers 4, Bacoor.

“Just hours after the attack on the victim, I immediately sent a team to their house but they were no longer around and they have yet to surface up to now,” Sapitula said.

Sapitula was referring to businesswoman Maria Cristina Oteyza Maru, 41, who was allegedly gunned down by PO3 Bayani Mercado of the Quezon Police Office and PO3 Elmer V. Arrogancia, of the Laguna Police Office, after attending a court hearing on a case she filed against the couple.

Maru died of multiple gunshot wounds after being waylaid by the policemen along Juliana St., Casimiro Village, Pamplona 3, past 10 a.m.

It was established that Maru and the Casapaos had a land deal that went awry, forcing the victim to sue in court.

Investigators believed that the couple then hired the services of Arrogancia and Mercado to eliminate the victim in exchange for a huge sum of money.

“From what we have gathered so far, these rogue cops got an initial down payment of P100,000 to carry out the murder,” Sapitula said.

Sapitula, Laguna provincial police director, Senior Supt. Gilbert Cruz and Quezon provincial police director, Senior Supt. Ericson Velazquez, all told this reporter they have reason to believe that Mercado and Arrogancia are part of a wide network of active policemen based in the Calabarzon region who are engaged in contract killing, illegal drugs and other heinous crimes.

POLICE official leading the investigation in the contract killing of a businesswoman in Las Piñas City last December 10 by rogue cops from the Calabarzon regional police office, identified a couple from Cavite province as among the principal suspects in the incident.

Supt. Romulo Sapitula, Las Piñas City chief of police, in a talk with People’s Tonight, identified the couple as Ruben and Julita Casapao, residents of Soldiers 4, Bacoor.

“Just hours after the attack on the victim, I immediately sent a team to their house but they were no longer around and they have yet to surface up to now,” Sapitula said.

Sapitula was referring to businesswoman Maria Cristina Oteyza Maru, 41, who was allegedly gunned down by PO3 Bayani Mercado of the Quezon Police Office and PO3 Elmer V. Arrogancia, of the Laguna Police Office, after attending a court hearing on a case she filed against the couple.

Maru died of multiple gunshot wounds after being waylaid by the policemen along Juliana St., Casimiro Village, Pamplona 3, past 10 a.m.

It was established that Maru and the Casapaos had a land deal that went awry, forcing the victim to sue in court.

Investigators believed that the couple then hired the services of Arrogancia and Mercado to eliminate the victim in exchange for a huge sum of money.

“From what we have gathered so far, these rogue cops got an initial down payment of P100,000 to carry out the murder,” Sapitula said.

Sapitula, Laguna provincial police director, Senior Supt. Gilbert Cruz and Quezon provincial police director, Senior Supt. Ericson Velazquez, all told this reporter they have reason to believe that Mercado and Arrogancia are part of a wide network of active policemen based in the Calabarzon region who are engaged in contract killing, illegal drugs and other heinous crimes.