Justice Secretary Leila de Lima confirmed on Monday, the arrest in the United States of Jonathan Viane, main suspect in the brutal murder and rape of Aika Mojica in Subic, Zambales, last July.
“Subject was arrested in Iowa on Sept. 4, 2015, based on our request for provisional arrest dated Aug. 20, 2015, and received by the United States Embassy on Sept. 1. Since it’s a provisional arrest, we have 60 days from his arrest to submit the full extradition request,” De Lima said in a statement.
The case against Viane is pending before the regional trial court in Iba, Zambales. His co-acused, Nino Dela Cruz, was arrested last Aug. 12 and is detained at the Zambales Provincial Jail.
Mojica, 23, was found dead in a dike in San Felipe town last July 25. Her burned body bore gunshot wounds and choke marks.
Viane was reported by the Bureau of Immigration to have left the country on July 26.