5 persons of interest in Geneva Lopez, Yitshak Cohen slay in police custody — Abalos

Five persons of interest in the killing of beauty pageant contestant Geneva Lopez and her Israeli boyfriend Yitshak Cohen are in police custody, Interior and Local Government Secretary Benhur Abalos said on Monday.

In a press conference, Abalos said two of the POIs are former police officers who were dismissed from the service in 2019 and 2020.

“May naaresto ang ating kapulisan na tatlong tao na nasa custody nila…Yung tatlong taong binabanggit ko ay nasa kustodiya ng kapulisan sa ibang kaso. Pero malaki ang kinalaman nila dito po sa kasi ni Geneva at Yitshak,” Abalos said.

(Police have arrested three people who are in their custody... The three people I am referring to are in police custody for another case. But they have a major involvement in the case of Geneva and Yitshak.)

“Noong naaresto itong tatlong tao, nagkaroon ng mga testigo at mga ebidensya na kung saan na ituro ang isang hukay. At sa hukay na ito nakita ang dalawang bangkay. Ito po ang katawan ni Geneva at ni Yitshak,” he added.

(When these three people were arrested, we had witnesses and evidence that led to the location of an unmarked grave that contained the remains of Geneva and Yitshak.)

The other two persons of interest in police custody, identified as “Junjun” and “Dondon”, voluntarily surrendered to authorities, according to Abalos.

Two more persons of interest are currently at large.

Motive

Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) chief Police Major General Leo Francisco said ex-cop Michael Guiang mortgaged a property to Lopez. When the beauty contestant bet wanted to claim the land, Guiang refused.

Guiang told Lopez that the property has another buyer who is one of the arrested persons of interest, former policeman Rommel Aboso. Francisco said the two ex-cops plotted to kill the couple.

“Sinabi ni Guiang na may buyer din yung lupang sinangla niya at ipapakilala niya kay Geneva itong si Aboso as buyer,” Francisco said.

(Guiang told Lopez that there is also a buyer for the property he mortgaged and he introduced Aboso as the buyer.)

“From that point, nagkita sila sa Barangay Armenia at binaril ng dalawang dating pulis na ito ang magkasintahan. So kung makikita niyo it's a planned activity,” he added.

(From that point, they met in Barangay Armenia and the two former police officers shot the couple. So you can see, it was a planned activity.)

Guiang, Aboso, and “Jeff” are already considered suspects. They will face charges for two counts of murder, according to Francisco.

Meanwhile, the police are determining the participation of the remaining persons of interest, who were seen in a vehicle linked to the killings.

Lopez and Cohen were last seen alive on June 21 when they drove to Capas, Tarlac to check on property they were planning to purchase. They were reported missing on the same day.

Authorities on July 5 found their bodies buried in a quarry site in Barangay Sta. Lucia in Capas.

Autopsy reports showed the couple were each shot twice. Lopez sustained gunshot wounds at the back of her torso and her thigh while Cohen had gunshot wounds on his chest and near the armpit.

According to Cohen's brother, Yaniv, Cohen went to Capas not to purchase land but to take possession of the land title as collateral for a debt owed him.

The remains of Lopez were cremated as her family held a wake at the Gate of Heaven Memorial Chapel in Minalin, Pampanga, while Cohen's body would be brought back to Israel where he will be buried according to his nation's traditions.—RF, GMA Integrated News