Police have arrested a suspect in the killing of Dominic Lim Sytin, president of United Auctioneers Inc., who was shot dead outside the Lighthouse Hotel in Subic Bay on Nov. 28, 2018.
Philippine National Police Chief Oscar Albayalde said they have in custody Edgardo Luib, alias “Injeck.”
Albayalde said Luib was arrested on March 5 at the house of his live-in partner in Palmridge Subdivision, Filinvest, Sta. Maria, Sto. Tomas in Batangas, after a walk-in witness identified him.
Luib yielded a cal.30 Carbine, cal.45 pistol, a cal.40 pistol, and a large sachet of marijuana.
In the presence of his family and counsel, Luib executed a confession detailing his alleged participation and that of his co-conspirators in the murder of Sytin.
Forensic examination of the cal.45 Norinco pistol seized from Luib established a match with two cal.45 bullets and nine fired cartridge cases recovered from the crime scene.
Luib’s fingerprint standard also matched the latent prints lifted from the side mirror of the getaway Yamaha Mio motorcycle used in the shooting.
“With these “smoking gun” evidence, we now have an airtight case that we will file in court against gunman Luib, and all those who conspired for the hit job on Dominic Lim Sytin, among them, the victim’s brother Dennis Lim Sytin, erstwhile COO of UAI, and two others, including the possible tipster or middleman,” Albayalde said.
He said police would file murder and frustrated murder charges against Luib at the Department of Justice.
Dennis Sytin issued a statement denying his involvement in the murder and calling the allegation “a brazen lie.”
“I received with much sadness news reports linking me to the killing of my brother, Dominic Sytin, in Subic late last year,” he said. “I am innocent. I did not… have anything to do with the killing of my brother. Therefore, the charge against me that I masterminded his death is a great injustice to me, my wife and children and to my slain brother Dominic and our mother. I am being used as a scapegoat while those who are truly responsible for the crime are free and seemingly no longer the subject of investigation—this despite the statement of PNP Chief Albayalde that he still does not consider the case closed.”
