DAVAO CITY –— Crizzle Gwynn and Crizvlle Louis will now miss the December 25th commemoration of the Savior’s birth.
Lovella and Cruz Maguad are devout Christians who believe in the spiritual meaning of Christmas, but after the tragic death of their children on December 10, 2021, they will commemorate such a significant event in history in a completely different way.
Reminiscing
The Maguad home in San Isidro, Barangay Bagontapay, Mlang North Cotabato, was the image of a beautiful and happy family, full of love and happiness. The couple had two children, a girl named Crizzle Gwynn and a son called Crizvlle Louis. They go on vacation together and have a GOD-CENTERED relationship.
The mother, Lovella, is the principal of Mlang’s Buayan Elementary School. Cruz, the father, is a teacher at Mariano Untal High School, which is also located in the Mlang municipality.
While Crizvlle was in Grade 10, Gwynn, who aspired to be a doctor, was enrolled in a nursing program at the University of Southern Mindanao.
Gwynn, like her mother, was named Miss English in high school while Louise was involved in sports.
But their happiness was short-lived on December 10, at 2:00 p.m., when their 16-year-old house keeper, who had only been with them for five months, was one of the alleged perpetrators of the crime that hammered, mutilated with a chopping knife, and stoked a baseball bat at the Maguad siblings.
The gruesome killings inside the Maguad family’s home were carried out by a suspect we named as Kristine, who was charged in court on Thursday, and her 21-year-old accomplice, whom officials assumed to be her boyfriend.
Kristine stated in her sworn declaration that the violent killings of Crizzle Gwynn and Cruzvlle LouisMaguad on December 10 in the village of San Isidro, Bagontapay, were motivated by envy, jealousy, and hatred.
“Based on her confession she was jealous, envious, and she hated our daughter Gwenn because of the love we bestowed on her,” Cruz Maguad, the victims’ father, said in an interview with Newsline Philippines.
A teacher who is close to the Maguads saw how they lavished love on their children, caring for and nurturing them as God-fearing, brilliant youngsters founded in simplicity and humility.
The minor as suspect
Kristine, who claimed to be an orphan, joined the Maguad family in July and was treated as a family member, receiving all of the necessities she need, including material support and family care. During the course of the investigation, officials discovered that, despite her parents’ separation, she has an older brother in Mindanao.
The Maguads described how the suspect persuaded the family through Gwenn to accept her as a member of the family because she was residing with another family at the time. Kristine’s desire to be released from a prior employer, whom the offender claims was a difficult work, was supported by the late Gwenn, who wanted Kristine to pursue her schooling.
Gwynn’s generous effort to offer Kristine her wish for a better working environment and the opportunity to continue her studies, without any trace of deception or betrayal, was accepting her into the Maguad household.
The family lost P10,000 in cash that was kept in the couple’s bedroom for safekeeping in August. When the family became concerned about the money’s loss, Kristine reasoned that it could have been stolen through the window nearest to the money’s location. Gwenn was the one who discovered Kristine had hidden the money on her backpack the day after the incident.
The Maguad family opted to retain Kristine in their home without resentment and provided her with the support she required without fear or prejudice.
Lovella and Cruz said it was too late to see how Kristine became resentful, envious, and even hateful of their daughter Gwynn after being duped by her ways. It was unimaginable for Kristine to approach Gwenn as a rival, they argue, because it was their daughter who urged Kristine to help her in the first place.
“Because she considered her a sister, Gwenn even gave her what she wanted without our knowing.” Mrs. Lovella Maguad informed Newsline that Gwynn does her tutorial and even assists her in answering her module.
The brutal killings
In the killing, the suspects used a baseball bat, a hammer, and a chopping knife, all of which belonged to the Maguads and were kept in a secure location with limited access to family members, including Kristine.
The embalmer required two days to complete the work because numerous sections of both cadavers were mutilated, particularly Gwenn’s.
Gwenn’s fists showed she fought hard and tried to defend herself, according to the SOCO investigator, but she was hammered, hit with a baseball bat, and chopped with a chopping knife at her neck and other parts of her body.
“May galit talaga ang pumatay sa kanila (Their killers were extremely upset at them) as it indicated the way they were murdered,” Mlang Police Chief Lt.Col Reallan Mamon said of Crizzle Gwynn and Crizvlle Louis’ bodies.
Confrontation between the accused and the victims was also discovered throughout the investigation.
According to the evidence, Kristine’s accomplice was able to change his underwear and pants through the house laundry area.
Deadening pain
The Maguad couple were not only shocked, but also felt a numbing pain creeping into their senses and consciousness as they realized how suddenly their children had vanished, and that the merciless hands of their perpetrators had simply taken the lives of the innocents without regard for guilt or fear.
“Had I known my children would end up like this, I would have given them more, increased my efforts by giving them all [. . .],” Lovella, in her misery as a mother, narrates.
The couple also bought a customized gown for Gwynn and a Tuxedo for Crizvlle to give the children a radiant look inside their caskets.
In their time of mourning, the couple has found strength in the outpouring of community support.
On Thursday, December 15, the case was filed, the couple thanked every netizen who helped them, the Mlang PNP and President Rodrigo Duterte and Senator Bong Go, for all the help extended to them. However, she asked the netizens to refrain from sharing the photos because it added to their loneliness and the suffering they were already experiencing.
Mrs. Maguad freely addressed her request for the halls of justice in government to give their case a chance to be heard and resolved, so that Gwynn and Crizvlle might genuinely rest in eternal peace, and those who perpetrated their crimes pay the ultimate price.
On December 20, 2021, the victims were buried by their grandmother’s tomb in Barangay Tawan-tawan, Mlang North Cotabato.
However, she asked the netizens to refrain from sharing the photos because it added to their loneliness and the suffering they were already experiencing.
Mrs. Maguad freely addressed her request for the halls of justice in government to give their case a chance to be heard and resolved, so that Gwynn and Crizvlle might genuinely rest in eternal peace, and those who perpetrated their crimes pay the ultimate price.
On December 20, 2021, the victims were buried by their grandmother’s tomb in Barangay Tawan-tawan, Mlang North Cotabato.
May the Maguad family find renewed vigor and optimism in claiming what is right and just for their children as a result of their Christian faith in Jesus’ birth.-Editha Z, Caduaya
