Radio broadcaster,wife, 3 others slapped murder charges in Lupi mayor killing

NAGA CITY – A composite police force dubbed ‘Task Force Matamorosa’ filed before the City Prosecutor’s Office a case of murder against a local radio broadcaster, his wife and three other suspects on the killing of Lupi Mayor Raul Matamorosa six months ago.

Naga Police Deputy City director for administration, Police Supt. Nilo Savilla Berdin Jr., told newsmen on Thursday (April 25) that after six months of investigation the police has sufficient evidence to file murder charges against Jupre P. Osabal also known as Joe Osabal and a popular local radio broadcaster, his wife, Jocelyn, now the incumbent mayor of Lupi and Matamorosa’s former Vice-Mayor; Wilfredo Rabaca Sasota of Libon, Albay, believed to be a member of the “Concepcion gun-for-hire group”; David Osea, a driver of the local government of Lupi and Eure Terceño, a barangay kagawad of Bulawan, Lupi.

Mayor Matamorosa was gunned-down in front of a TV appliance repair shop along the Naga Diversion Road in the afternoon of October 27, 2012 and died in the hospital hours later.

Berdin revealed that at least 10 vital witnesses implicate the said suspects in the Matamorosa killing.

Among the testimonies cited by Berdin was an eyewitness account of four men in red car, with original ownership latter traced to Joe Osabal, tailing Matamorosa in the boundary of Lupi and Sipocot.

According to Berdin, the red car, a Toyota VIOS, was later sold to a car dealer, but was later confirmed by investigators to have been previously owned by Jupre Osabal based on the “OR-CR” documents of the vehicle.

The driver of the said car, David Osea who also works for the Lupi local government and the suspected gunman, Wilfredo Sasota, were among the men positively identified to be tailing Matamorosa at the Lupi-Sipocot boundary. Sasota was seen by another witness to be carrying a hand-gun after Matamorosa was shot at the TV repair shop in Naga City, Berdin said.

Police intelligence report also revealed that Sasota, known member of a crime group, was among those involved in the killing of a certain engineer Morales of Makati City who was shot dead at a local church in Malinao, Albay in 2012.

Berdin also said, there are still two unidentified suspects involved in the killing of the Lupi Mayor.

The joint police units working in the task force on the Matamorosa case consisted of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG), the Bicol Police regional intelligence section, Camarines Sur Police SOCO Crime-Lab and the Naga City Police. (SONNY SALES)