LINGAYEN – The prime suspect in the May 16 murder of Jose Doton, the secretary-general of the Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (BAYAN) in Pangasinan was released by the police on the order of the prosecutor at the regional trial court in Tayug.

The order was issued by Prosecutor Noel Bince last week who determined that Joel Flores, 28, of Asingan, could not be detained and presented for inquest since the latter was not arrested immediately after the commission of the crime.

Flores was arrested initially not as a suspect in the killing but was charged with illegal possession of firearms for which he posted bail and a separate case of attempted homicide for poking his gun at police operatives while he was under surveillance.

Charges of murder and frustrated murder were added after the police determined that the gun seized from him matched the empty shells recovered at the crime scene of Doton’s killing based on the results of the ballistic test done by the Crime Laboratory in Urdaneta City.

Bince maintained that the case can only be considered for regular filing, meaning the prosecutor will endorse the case to the court which in turn will order Flores to submit his counter-affidavit, and should there be a probable cause, only then will the court issue the warrant for his arrest.

 Supt. Noli Taliño, head of the task force, said Flores was released within hours after he was presented at Camp Crame in Quezon City as the suspect in the Doton case.

The police are optimistic they have very strong evidence against Flores for the death of Doton.

Senior Supt. Alan Purisima, Pangasinan police director, however, expressed fears that Flores could easily be a target for liquidation by whoever was behind the killing of Doton and others since he is out of custody of the police.

Both Purisima and Taliño said Flores would have been safer if he is under the custody of the police. – EVA

 

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