A man provisionally charged with rape and homicide says that he’s gay, and never raped a young flight attendant who was found dead on New Year’s Day.
As CrimeOnline previously reported, Christine Angelica Dacera, 23, was found unresponsive on January 1, in a bathtub at the lavish Garden City Hotel in Makati City, Philippines. Dacera, a flight crew member of Philippine Airlines (PAL) Express, was supposed to be celebrating with friends when the incident occurred.
Dacera’s body had bruising, cuts, and signs of sexual assault, according to Makati City police chief Col. Harold Depositar.
“The victim had lacerations and sperm in her genitalia,” Depositar said, adding that semen was found “in multiple places in the hotel rooms.”
An initial autopsy report indicated that Dacera died from a ruptured aortic aneurysm, but Depositar said there were multiple factors that contributed to her death.
PNP spokesperson Brig. Gen. Ilderbrandi Usana confirmed Depositar’s findings that Dacera had been sexually assaulted.
“There was a manifestation that sexual abuse has been committed,” Usana said. “Based on initial investigation, sexual abuse happened.”
Eleven men have been provisionally charged with rape and homicide, while detectives wait on Dacera’s toxicology reports to come in. One of the suspects, Gregorio Angelo de Guzman, said that he and the others at the party are being accused of something they never did.
“I find it absurd and stupid,” Gregorio Angelo de Guzman told CNN Philippines. “What made them [investigators] think we could ever be capable of doing this?”
“Everyone invited in that room was gay…She felt safe and secure.”
According to de Guzman, Dacera was friends with several men who attended the hotel party. They were flight attendant buddies, de Guzman said, who had a tradition of spending holidays together, due to their work travel. He added that according to his knowledge, rape never happened and he didn’t see any unusual marks or bruises on Dacera.
Along with de Guzman, the suspects have been identified, according to Manila Bulletin, as:
- John Pascual Dela Serna III
- Rommel Daluro Galido
- John Paul Reyes Halili
- Louie de Lima
- Clark Jezreel Rapinan
- Rey Englis
- Mark Anthony Rosales
- Jammyr Cunanan
- Valentine Rosales
- Ed Madrid
- “Paul”
“My impression of her is she likes to hang out with us LGBT members. She’s comfortable with us. The entire time she was really comfortable with every one of us,” de Guzman said in a different interview with ABS-CBN News.
“For me, I’ve never had sexual relations with a woman. I’ve never been aroused by a woman. Always a man. Many can testify to that.”
A CCTV video that surfaced, however, reportedly showed Dacera with an unknown man engaging in a kiss in front of an elevator.
Suspect Rommel Galido reportedly found Dacera in the bathtub at around 10 a.m. on January 1. He told authorities that he put a blanket over her and went back to sleep. He said when he woke up a few hours later, he found Dacera unresponsive and turning blue.
Galido told investigators that he called for help and the hotel staff tried to revive her. Peter Paul Ponongcos, the security chief at the hotel, conducted CPR on Dacera before she was rushed to the Makati Medical Clinic, where she was pronounced dead.
“The management of said hotel requested a rescue team from Barangay Poblacion but to no avail, hence, they decided to bring Ms. Dacera on board their private vehicle but the latter declared dead upon arrival to the hospital,” a police report read.
Dacera’s family told local reporters that they think she was forced to take illegal drugs. The family is now mulling over filing a suit against the hotel for allowing a party to happen, which is reportedly a health protocol violation, due to the coronavirus pandemic.
“Mrs. Dacera [the victim’s mother] is contemplating on filing a case against the hotel. The hotel allowed 9 to 10 individuals at Room 2209 and seven persons in another room –2207. We believe that is against the regulations of the IATF for the operations of hotels,” lawyer Roger Reyes told reporters.
Family members are also pushing for a second autopsy, claiming the first report was incomplete.
Check back for updates.
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[Featured Photo: Christine Dacera/Facebook]
