Nida Blanca's daughter laments slow progress of murder case

MANILA, Philippines - Seven years since the gruesome murder of multi-talented actress Nida Blanca, her daughter, Kaye Torres, said she is yet to see any significant development in the case. In a report in GMA News’ 24 Oras, Torres said she is still disappointed with the case despite the suicide Rod Strunk, Torres’ stepfather and the main suspect in the murder, in California last year. Blanca, Dorothy Acueza Jones in real life, was found stabbed to death inside her car parked at the Atlanta Center in Greenhills, San Juan, Metro Manila in Nov 7, 2001. “My prayer for her that she will get justice someday,” Torres told GMA reporter Connie Sison in an interview. Torres admitted that she is dismayed on the slow progress of the case. “Wala naman talagang (There is no) significant developments…I’m very disappointed actually,” she said. Strunk’s suicide, Torres said, had even made the case more complicated. Asked on what she thinks drove Strunk to kill himself, Torres said: “I think my mom finally got to him.” Aside from Strunk, Torres also believes that another suspect, Philip Medel Jr, had something to do with her mom’s murder and is just withholding vital information. Medel, currently detained at the Pasig City Jail pending his trial, maintains his innocence in the case. Several days after the murder, Medel surrendered to the police and tagged Strunk as the mastermind. He later withdrew his initial testimony and accused the police of torturing him to own up to the crime. But Torres said she is convinced that Medel is guilty of the crime. “Mayroon nilalaman sa statement n’ya na parang sya lang…mommy ko lang makapagsasabi nun (His statements included things that only my mom knew), and yet it came out in Medel’s mouth.’ The report said Medel is currently devoting his time teaching fellow inmates the word of God. He is also reportedly into poetry, and used the name Nido Blanco as his pen name. - GMANews.TV