HAZING victim Horacio Castillo III was murdered by his own fraternity brothers, President Rodrigo Duterte said Wednesday as he promised there would be no whitewash in the ongoing investigation into his death.
He made his statement even as Aegis Juris Fraternity member John Paul Solano, one of the primary suspects in the fatal hazing of 22-year-old University of Santo Tomas law student Castillo, on Wednesday asked the Department of Justice to nullify as evidence the judicial affidavit obtained by police investigators from him for allegedly having been falsified.
Solano’s appeal is contained in his four-page motion submitted by his lawyer Paterno Esmaquel before the department’s investigating panel, led by State Prosecutor Susan Villanueva, during the start of the preliminary investigation on the charges filed by the Manila Police District arising from Castillo’s death.
The MPD said several frat members of the Aegis Juris Fraternity could be identified by a security guard who was posted near the Aegis Juris Fraternity resource center where Castillo’s hazing took place.
The district said the security guard’s testimony would be among the pieces of evidence it would use to boost its case against the Aegis Juris members facing murder charges in connection with Castillo’s death.
Duterte, who met with Castillo’s parents Horacio Jr. and Carmina in Malacañang on Wednesday, said he had ordered the MPD Chief Joel Coronel to lead the investigation into Castillo’s death.
“Everything went wrong. Let the chips fall where they may. That’s it,” Duterte said.
“You make your own history. You are bound by your mistake… Everybody has to answer [for their crime].
“He [Castillo] was helpless. It could not be suicide. The person had no choice… I think it was murder because he was helpless,” he added.
Duterte likewise said he would be asking the Cabinet to cancel the passports of the members of the Aegis Juris Fraternity who might have fled overseas to escape accountability for the crime.
“You have my word,” the President said, assuring the family that justice will be served.
Castillo died after undergoing initiation rites of the Aegis Juris Fraternity on Sept. 17 and was buried on Sept. 27.