Wife shot dead by husband over child support dispute in Antipolo

A 42-year-old woman was shot dead by her husband on Thursday over a dispute regarding his child support payments, which he asked to be reduced to P1,500 from P6,000.

In a “24 Oras” report by Gabriel Gonzales on Friday, the incident happened outside the capitol following their hearing before the Human Resources Department to settle the suspect's required child support for their three children, aged 12, 14, and 19.

Investigations by authorities revealed that this dispute over child support was the root cause of the conflict between the suspect and the victim, who had been living separately for a long time.

“Ang napagkasunduan po nila sa ating social welfare development ay P6,000 para po doon sa tatlong anak nila per month. Ngayon, nagre-request po ‘yung ating suspek na pababaan ng P1500,” Antipolo Police Chief P/Lt.Col. Mark Henry Garcia said.

(They previously agreed at our Social Welfare and Development Office on P6,000 per month for their three children. Now, our suspect was requesting to lower it to P1,500.)

“Ito naman pong ating biktima ay hindi pumayag, so sa madali't sabi po, natapos po ang pag-uusap nang walang maliwanag na na-resolve o agreement,” he added.

(Our victim did not agree. So in short, the talk ended without any clear resolution or agreement.)

The suspect was identified as a security guard for the Rizal Provincial Government. He argued that he earns just a little over P5,000 every month, which is why he wanted to lower the support payments.

In video footage, the suspect was caught approaching the victim, who was walking with her cousin and sibling.

After shooting his wife up close, he removed his vest as he walked away from the scene toward the gate of the provincial capitol complex, where authorities caught him.

“Isa po na motorcycle rider doon, we were able to block ito pong suspek natin na tatakas pa sana. Then bumalik po itong suspek doon mismo sa post and ;yun po doon na po na-apprehend ‘yung ating suspek ng kanilang mga kasamahan initially,” Garcia recounted.

(A motorcycle rider there was able to block our suspect, who was trying to escape. The suspect then went back to his post, where he was initially apprehended by his colleagues.)

“Ang sabi po ng ating suspek ay dahil sa galit at inis po sa biktima na kaniya nga pong asawa. Biglang nagdilim ang paningin niya noong papalabas na ang asawa niya sa gate,” he added.

(According to our suspect, out of anger and frustration toward the victim, everything went dark for him as his wife was heading out the gate.)

The victim was pronounced dead on arrival at the hospital due to gunshot wounds to the head, neck, and other parts of her body.

According to the victim’s family, they are determined to file charges against the suspect.

“Grabe din po ‘yung ginawa niya sa ate ko, hindi na lang din po niya inisip ‘yung mga anak po niya, kahit ‘yung mga anak na lang po sana ‘yung inisip niya. Kasi hindi na nga siya nagsusustento, halos ‘yung ate ko na lang ‘yung nag-aano sa mga anak nila eh,” the victim’s sibling said.

(What he did to my sister was terrible. He didn't even think of his children; he should have at least considered them. He wasn't providing financial support anyway—my sister was practically the one taking care of their children all by herself.)

The Provincial Government of Rizal offered legal aid to the victim’s family and stated that they are also prepared to cover all funeral and burial expenses.

The suspect is currently detained at the Antipolo Component City Police Station and will face parricide charges. Authorities recovered from him a .45-caliber service firearm that he used for his work.

He has refused to give a statement. –Lyjah Tiffany Bonzo/NB, GMA News