2 Filipinos in Japan questioned following couple’s murder

Usec. Eduardo De Vega, Department of Foreign Affairs

Two Filipinos in Japan who were earlier arrested for allegedly abandoning the corpses of a Japanese couple in Tokyo have again been taken into custody by authorities, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) confirmed on Sunday.

Foreign Undersecretary Eduardo de Vega said the two Filipinos, who were identified by media outlet Japan Times as Bryan Jefferson Lising dela Cruz, 34, and Hazel Ann Baguisa Morales, 30, were under investigation, this time for murder.

Dela Cruz is an overseas worker while Morales is a permanent resident in Japan. They were arrested separately in late January after they supposedly abandoned the bodies of the Japanese couple who were earlier reported as missing. Authorities began their investigation on Jan. 19.

while in custody, the two were ordered “rearrested” on March 1, this time for murder and breaking into a residence, according to De Vega.

READ: DFA visits 2 Filipinos held for Tokyo couple’s death

The prosecutor handling their case has three days to file a formal charge for the alleged crimes committed or request a 10-day extension of the probe, the DFA official said.

Another 10 days may be given if the investigation has not yet wrapped up, he added.

“We will see in [the] next few weeks what will be the final charges to be filed against them,” De Vega told the Inquirer in a text message. “We are ready to continue providing assistance.”

Stab wounds

According to a Japan Times report, Norihiro Takahashi, 55, and his wife Kimie, 52, both residents in Tokyo’s Adachi Ward, were found with stab wounds under their house.

Authorities believe that Dela Cruz and Morales had conspired to dispose of the couple’s bodies. Footage from a closed-circuit TV camera had shown them coming out of the victims’ house.

The Philippine Embassy in Tokyo has been in touch with Japanese authorities concerning the case of the two Filipinos, De Vega said.

During a visit by embassy officials, Dela Cruz claimed that he was only dragged (“nadamay”) into this situation while Morales denied the conspiracy allegation.

Morales reportedly said that she earlier had a relationship with the couple’s son, while Dela Cruz denied having any connection with the victims.

Immediately after their first arrest, De Vega said the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) was paying for Dela Cruz’s lawyer, while Morales was being represented by a counsel appointed by a Japanese court.

DMW officer in charge Hans Leo Cacdac had also instructed his agency’s Migrant Workers Office in Tokyo to ensure that adequate legal assistance would be provided to Dela Cruz. INQ