MLANG, NORTH COTABATO — Tears kept falling his cheeks as public school teacher Cruz Maguad recounted the moment he saw how his children Crizzle Gwen, 18 years old, and Crizzule Louis, 16, were brutally murdered inside their house in Purok San Isidro, Barangay Bagontapay on December 10, 2021.
Mr. Maguad, a teacher in Mariano Untal Memorial High School, who was fixing some structures in Buayan Elementary School where his wife Lovella is the principal, told Newsline, at around 2:58 in the afternoon, he received a phone call saying, ” Pre, pauli sa inyo bala, ayaw pagpanic, pauli anay kay gi-ransack inyo balay (Pre’ go home, do not panic, your house was ransacked).”
At about 3:15 he arrived at their house, just as he opened their gate, he saw a blanket soaked with blood and a knife outside the main door, but he kept calling his son “Boyboy, Boyboy” as he entered the house through the back door, and inside their living room, he saw his children bathed in their own blood, Crizzle with multiple bruises and wounds in the different parts of her body lying in front of the second door, just four steps away from her room while Crizzule was hogtied and gagged near the main door of the house.
Police investigators found pieces of broken bottles, a knife, a hammer, and a baseball bat near the lifeless bodies of his children.
The lone survivor
But there was a survivor, Cristine (not her real name), an orphan, who has been with them since July this year as a working student, who told the police she locked the door and hid while the crime was committed outside the door where Crizzle’s body was found.
Maguad recalled he looked for her and as she went out of the door, she looked horrified and her hair was still wet, and she explained, she was taking a bath when Maguad was calling her.
One of the onlookers told Newsline the room where Christine reportedly hid was in a total mess (nagkalat gyud).
The survivor told the police, she saw three suspects.
Christine’s post
Mrs. Lovella Maguad recalled it was Crizzle who prod them to take Christine in, last July from their relative. “She took care of her, treat her as her sister, provide what she want and we supported her.”
What surprised them, on the day of the crime, Christine started to call them Mama and Papa.
Translation of message 1: (Help Me)
Translation of Image 2: (Guys help me please somebody entered the house, I do not want to die yet, I am inside the room hiding please help)
Mrs. Maguad told Newsline, “At about 3:00 pm she messaged me saying, “Mama please help,” but when she called up she didn’t answer.
She revealed, “It was Christine who posted on Social Media that they need help.”
The suspects and the weapons
Mlang Municipal Police Chief . PLtCol Realan E. Mamon earlier told reporters a commotion ensued when the crime was committed “May galit ang pumatay (there was hatred on the part of the killer).
The police suspected that at least three people were behind the gory death.
The blisters and cuts in the different parts of the victims’ bodies took two days for the embalmer to finish the job.
Mr. Maguad told Newsline, “The hammer is mine, I placed it near the laundry area and only Christine and Gwenn knew it”.
Asked about the baseball bat, he said, “It was Boyboy’s (Cruzzile) bat, I put it at the second deck of the bed where Christine is using).”
His son, according to Mr. Maguad, even gave up his room for Christine, and he occupied the couch in the living room.
After the crime, a pair of trousers and underwear with bloodstains placed in a plastic bag was found by the Scene of the Crime Operative (SOCO) near the irrigation canal, they presumed that the suspects were drenched with blood and managed to wash the stains and changed his pants.
The couple ordered a gown for Crizzle and a white tuxedo for Crizzule.
The Maguad couple said they were informed by the police that Christine was taken under the custody of Mlang Vice Mayor Joselito Piñol.-Editha Z, Caduaya
