(Eagle News) — One of the primary suspects in the death of Horacio Castillo III on Sunday refused to talk to the victim’s parents due to the absence of a counsel.
In an interview with reporters, Chief Supt. Joel Coronel, Manila Police District directors, said Horacio Castillo Jr. and Carminia Castillo, who arrived at the MPD headquarters specifically to talk to Solano, were no longer able to wait for the arrival of his lawyers because they had to attend to other matters.
Coronel said the Castillos were hoping instead to talk to the suspect during the Senate hearing into hazing slated on Monday.
According to Coronel, Solano has yet to give a statement to the police.
Asked if he would turn state witness, the police official said this would depend on how he cooperates.
Perjury, obstruction of justice
Even then, he said charges for perjury and for obstruction of justice will be filed against him after he, according to Coronel, misled investigators by giving false statements.
Solano earlier told the police he found the younger Castillo’s body in a street corner in Tondo, Manila.
But Barangay 133 officials disputed his account, citing closed-circuit television camera footage in the area that showed there was no body there at the time Solano said he found one.
Solano, who surrendered to the Office of Senator Lacson on Friday, later admitted he lied.
According to Coronel, apart from Solano, charges would be filed against the mother of Ralph Trangia, who he said helped her son, another primary suspect in the younger Castillo’s death, leave the country.
The Bureau of Immigration said the younger Trangia left for Taiwan on Sept. 19.
The Taiwanese government later said he boarded a plane for Chicago, in the United States.
He said the police had already sought the help of US authorities so they could trace the younger Trangia.
Surrender feelers
As for Trangia’s father Antonio, under whose name the red pickup that took the hazing victim to the Chinese General Hospital was registered, Coronel said he had already sent surrender feelers.
He said all in all, four Aegis Juris fraternity members have sent surrender feelers to authorities–two to the Department of Justice, and two to the MPD.
He said the police were still looking for six other officers of the fraternity as their suspects.
The younger Castillo died from a heart attack as a result of massive trauma from injuries sustained from Aegis Juris hazing rites performed over the weekend.
Twenty members of the fraternity have been placed under an immigration lookout order, including the younger Trangia and Solano.
From the 20, Aeron Salientes surfaced on Friday to deny he had a hand in the death of the younger Castillo.
He said he was in Pampanga at that time, and was already an inactive member of the fraternity.
