One Bloody Christmas Eve
Crime Story: One Bloody Christmas Eve
Johnnie J. Lim
Jeffrey was astonished when he went to his fiancee’s house. Mina was there lying on the floor bathed with her own blood. “Jesus! Mina…Mina!” He exclaimed. By touching her pulse, he presumed that the incident only happened few minutes before he arrived. “Who the hell did this to you?” He whispered. He quickly ran to the kitchen where an exit could be found but it was locked. So he ran back to the receiving room heading to the main door. When he was about to touch the door knob, the phone rang. He stopped for awhile but he didn’t pick it up. He went out to search for the killer but he got no clue to trace who did the crime. He then phoned his friends about it. Fifteen minutes later, Hanzel and Lani came over. “Who do you think could do this?” Jeffrey asked Hanzel. “I don’t have any idea, Jeff. And I don’t see any reasons why this thing would happen to her,” Hanzel explained. “No one was here when I came.” Jeffrey said. “Where is Rachel?” Lani interfered. “You know, I saw her in the mall yesterday.” She added.
An hour later, the cops came. “Who are the other people living in this house?” The sheriff inquired.
Rachel was a step-sister of Mina who arrived from Canada to Cavite city, Philippines a week before the victim was murdered. Mina had a maid, Rosita. But Rachel told the police that Rosita went home to Batangas a day before the incident happened to celebrate the Christmas Eve with her family.
On the next day, Rosita was invited to give statements about her Madam. According to her, Mina and Rachel had an argument two days before she left for Batangas. The subject of the argument was money-related matter. It was also learned that Mina and her fiancé had a lover’s quarrel three days before she died.
The investigator turned to Jeffrey since he was the fiancé of the victim. “Have you got in mind any friend of Mina in the neighborhood?” “Nobody.” Jeffrey confirmed.
According to the investigation, the incident happened at around 8:00 O’ Clock in the evening. Jeffrey said that he came over since no one answered the phone when he tried to call. But Mina’s mobile phone was missing. It was found two days after soaked in the fishpond at the backyard of the house. A stick of cigarette butt was also eyed two meters away from the fence of the back gate.
On the third day, the cops arrested a prime suspect identified as Wilson Q. Velasquez, 30 years old, 5 feet and 9 inches tall with fair complexion, brown eyes and a short curly hair. Record showed that the man had just lived in San Roque Village of Cavite city five months before the killing. He was new to the residents in the village whose house was just 150 meters away from the victim’s.
QUESTION:
- Do you think the investigators were right in their findings? Why do you think the cops arrested Mr. Velasquez?
About the Author
Johnnie J. Lim is a graduate of Ateneo de Zamboanga University, Philippines with Master of Arts in English. He was an Editor-in-Chief during his college at Mindanao State University where he finished his Bachelor of Science in Education major in English and graduated as journalist of the year.
In 2008-2009, he worked as an English teacher in Non-Destructive Testing Technology Institute, 2nd Industrial City of Dammam, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, where he taught General English to college students. In 1998-2008, He worked as an English teacher and later became the Language Coordinator in Notre Dame of Jolo College, Jolo, Sulu, Philippines. He also served as one of the representatives of the American Studies Program Committee through the initiative of the Thomas Jefferson Information Center of US Embassy Manila in putting up American Studies Resource Centers in some of the colleges/universities in the Philippines. In 1994-1996, he worked as a high school English teacher and adviser of the school paper in Luuk National High School, Luuk, Sulu, Philippines.
Mr. Lim has conducted a research entitled “Students’ Reactions on Code Switching among Teachers”. He is also conducting studies about mysticism.
Email add: natamorales@yahoo.com
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