The remains of the alleged middleman in the killing of radio broadcaster Percival "Percy Lapid" Mabasa has showed "history of asphyxia by plastic bag suffocation," forensic pathologist Rafael Fortun said Saturday.
During a virtual press conference, Fortun revealed some portion of the second autopsy report she conducted to the body of inmate Jun Villamor, who died last October 18 due to natural causes inside the National Bilibid Prison.
Fortun said Villamor's body was found to have "pulmonary congestion, edema, and hemorrhages."
"The autopsy findings showed no gross morphologic cause of death and this is consistent with the reported asphyxia," she said.
She added that there is information that the deceased expressed fear for his life shortly before his death and that he died from suffocation by means of a plastic bag over his head.
“Based on available information regarding the circumstances surrounding death, the manner is homicide,” Fortun said.
A copy of the autopsy report was posted on the Department of Justice's official Facebook page.
In the same press briefing, Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin 'Boying' Remulla said the family of Lapid and his brother Roy Mabasa requested for Fortun to conduct an autopsy on the alleged middleman's body.
The recent findings are now in contrast with the first autopsy conducted by the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), which found no signs of external injuries.
However, Remulla dismissed the disparity between the two autopsy reports, saying that Fortun was given information that was not available earlier.
"Information trickled in, I noted it here, and this is very important that he had an inkling that he was in danger. And true enough, short after, he died," Fortun said.
"This sense, this feeling of impending death actually was transmitted to someone and this information is credible. So I have to consider that," she continued.
Lapid was shot dead in Las Piñas City on October 3.
On October 18, self-confessed gunman Joel Escorial was presented to the media following his surrender.
He identified several persons involved in the plot to kill Lapid including two middlemen, identified as Villamor and Christopher Bacoto, who are detained at the New Bilibid Prison (NBP) and a jail facility under the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP), respectively.
