Sun Star Iloilo
Sunday, August 31, 2003
'Addict' cuts off head of neighbor
By Ruby P. Silubrico
"HE looks like a vampire, that's why I cut his head."
This was how a 21-year-old drug dependent from Zamora Extension, City Proper, pictured his neighbor whom he killed in a most gruesome way Thursday.
The suspect, Joenar Galvez Jr., who is now detained at the Police Precinct 1 (PP1), is facing charges for killing Restituto Hasermida, 56.
Police said that at around 6 a.m., Galvez stormed Hasermida's house, hit the victim unconscious and cut off his head and sex organ.
He then placed the victim's head on a stick and carried it around the neighborhood while shouting, "Si Bongkoy (referring to the victim) pinatay ko kay aswang kag bampira (I'll killed Bongkoy because he's a witch and a vampire)."
When his neighbors saw what he did, they called the police.
This prompted Galvez to leave the victim's severed head in the middle of Zamora road. Hasermida's body was found 100 meters away.
Galvez, believed to be under the influence of drugs when he killed the victim, said Hasermida is "a vampire."
He said that when he heard a voice shouting, "May aswang! (There's a witch)," he went out of their house and saw a cat. He chased the cat until it went inside Hasermida's house. There, he said, he saw the cat transform into a human being, in the person of Hasermida. He then killed him.
Galvez said he killed the victim to prevent him from sucking his blood.
"He (victim) went to our house and sipped my blood. He is a vampire so I killed him," Galvez said in Hiligaynon.
Zamora residents said they have earlier noticed Galvez' unusual behavior. He was reportedly unable to sleep for three days before incident, they said.
Police sources said Galvez works for a drug dealer in the waterfront area.
Drug pushers sometimes go to Galvez' house to allegedly have a "pot session," a source said.
