The family of Percival Mabasa, also known as Percy Lapid, feels disheartened following the death of an inmate allegedly involved in the murder of the broadcaster.
Roy Mabasa, brother of Percival, expects that the death of Crisanto Villamor Jr., a 42-year-old inmate of the New Bilibid Prison, will affect the case filed by the family.
Police said that Villamor served as the middleman for the plot to kill Percival.
"Napakalaking dagok nito sa kaso na isinampa namin kasi binabase namin yung pagsasampa ng kaso sa investigation ng police," Roy said on Friday, October 21, during DZRH's Damdaming Bayan.
Roy described the death of Villamor as the loss of an important element to identify the mastermind behind the assassination plot that resulted to the death of Percival.
Roy also admitted that the family fears for their security since this development proves that the culprits remain at large.
The brother of the slain broadcaster also questions the 'unbelievable' circumstances regarding the death of Villamor, which happened during the same day that the Philippine National Police held a press conference and presented Joel Escorial who confessed to the murder of Percival.
During the press conference on Tuesday, October 18, Escorial said that the order to kill Percival came from a person inside the New Bilibid Prison, a penitentiary managed by the Bureau of Corrections.
"Inaakala ko na yung BuCor ay safe na dahil nakakulong na siya riyan, nagaantay na silang matapos ang kanilang time, tapos namatay sa isang questionable na pagkamatay," Roy said.
"Hindi pa nga natin alam yung cause pero ang balita natin hindi na raw nakahinga, binangungot daw sa gitna ng hapon," he added.
Roy stressed that the death of Villamor besmirches the justice system of the Philippines in the eyes of the international community monitoring and concerned with the developments of the case.
He added that even the public suspects a conspiracy on the death of Percival.
"Hindi na biro yung ganyan na namamatay na lang under suspicious circumstances yung mga inmate. Lalo tuloy lumalaki yung suspicion ng taong-bayan na meron malawakang sabwatan na nangyayari," Roy said.
Meanwhile, PBGen. Kirby John Kraft, director of the Southern Police District, assured that authorities have taken into custody of the second middleman, an inmate in the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology.
