The family and friends of graduating nursing student Ann Pauline Fajardo, who was strangled to death in San Antonio, Nueva Ecija, are demanding justice, reported Grace Sansano.

According to San Antonio police, the suspect strangled Fajardo following a quarrel over money. The suspect had asked Fajardo for ₱5,000, which the student said she did not have.

Her grandmother, Lola Lumen, said she wished the suspect had come to her instead, as Fajardo was merely a student on an allowance.

“Sana po ay hindi niya ginawa ‘yung pinatay niya ang apo ko, dahil po kung gusto niya ng pera, ay sana po sa akin siya napunta. Hindi doon sa apo kong pinupuwersa niya, na kinukunan niya ng pera,” Lola Lumen said in an interview.

“Ang apo ko po ay nag-aaral. Allowance lang po ang kanyang natatanggap sa ina,” she explained, adding that her family’s expenses had piled up, as they were also paying for the construction of their home.

Addressing the suspect, Lola Lumen said he should suffer for what he did to Fajardo, who was one of her only two grandchildren.

“‘Yung ginawa mo, pagdusahan mo. ‘Yung ginawa mo, napakalaking problema… Dadalawa lang ang apo ko, magkapatid sila. Pinatay mo pa isa!” she cried.

According to Sansano’s report, the victim was the younger of the two siblings, who have lost their father, while their mother is an overseas Filipino worker (OFW).

Maj. Ernesto Esguerra of the San Antonio Police told reporters that the suspect has been located and arrested.

“‘Yung ating suspek po is arestado na po siya, na-inquest na po natin siya kagabi, at nag-ano na rin siya ng extrajudicial confession po niya para po ang kanyang sariling lawyer po,” Esguerra said.

Esguerra disclosed that when the suspect asked to borrow ₱5,000 from the victim, the victim said she did not have this amount, as she has yet to make a withdrawal.

The suspect strangled Fajardo, then looped a blanket around her neck twice, tying the end of the same blanket at the foot of the bed to frame the scene as a suicide and not a murder.

“Nanghihiram siya ng halagang ₱5,000 sa biktima po natin, at sabi po ng biktima, wala po siyang mapapahiram kasi wala po, hindi pa nakapag-withdraw sa ATM ‘yung ating biktima, ayon po sa confession ng ating suspek,” the officer told the media.

“Nasakal niya po hanggang sa naubusan na po ng hininga ‘yung ating biktima… Noong patay na po ‘yung ating biktima, nandoon po sa kama, binaba po niya, ginapos po niyang dalawang beses ‘yung leeg ng kumot. Tapos ‘yun pong dulo ng kumot po na iyon, tinali po niya sa paa ng kama, para po paghinalaan na nagpakamatay,” he said.

After interviewing the victim’s relatives and neighbors, police located the suspect via the victim’s iPhone, which was in his possession.

Authorities were able to track her iCloud account through her cousin’s phone.

“‘Yun pong ating biktima ay mayroon pong cellphone na iPhone. Sa pagtatanong natin sa mga kapatid… sa kapitbahay, mayro’n pong nakapagsabi na ‘yun pong cellphone ay may hawak doon sa pinsan niya na alam po ‘yung iCloud account po niya. So from then on po, kinuha ko na po ‘yung cellphone nung isang pinsan niya, kami na po ang humawak, kami na po ang nag-locate, pinatay na po namin ‘yung cellphone, hanggang sa kinabukasan na-locate na namin kung nasaan po ‘yung location ng cellphone at nasundan nga po namin, nakita namin na nasa ating suspek,” Esguerra said.

The suspect confessed to the crime and cooperated with authorities.

“Umamin naman po ‘yung tao, ‘yung ating suspek at agad naman po tayong pumunta sa station para po kuhanan siya ng extrajudicial confession, harap po ‘yung lawyer po niya,” Esguerra said, noting that police have filed for robbery with homicide.

However, prosecutors on the case are pushing for murder charges.

In an interview, the suspect asked for forgiveness from Fajardo’s family.

“Humihingi po ako ng kapatawaran sa aking nagawa. Alam kong mahirap tanggapin, pero sana mapatawad ng mga magulang, pinsan ko po. Sana mabigyan niyo ako ng chance para makahingi ako ng kapatawaran sa pamilya ng nagawan ko ng kasalanan,” he said, from behind bars.

He explained that he had “blanked out” due to intoxication.

“Nablanko po ako noon, sobrang nainom po dahil nga ako ng… nanghihiram ng kaunting pera hanggang sa nagkaroon kami ng pagtatalo, hanggang sa nagawa ko po iyon,” he explained.