BACOLOD CITY, Negros Occidental, Philippines – A facial composite sketch once released by the police crime laboratory will be the first piece of evidence that probers here can have that can lead to killers as they continue to probe the murder of businessman Mariano Antonio “Marton” Cui who was shot in the northern city of San Carlos 12 April, this year.
Two bodies are conducting the probe on the murder of Cui, a Capitol consultant on hospitals and an influential businessman, after Malacanang reportedly directed the National Bureau of Investigation to conduct a probe on the mysterious shooting on a busy street early in the evening last month.
The NBI Bacolod sub-regional office is now conducting the investigation and its local agent-in-charge, Renoir Baldovino, has reported the recovery of bullet fragments from the body of Cui that was exhumed recently.
The NBI is the investigation arm of the Philippine Department of Justice.
The National Police provincial office, meanwhile, has put up its own special probe team to look into the murder.
So far, the police probe has only identified the make, model, and color of three vans possibly used in the murder. (READ also: Marton’s murder a week after: Three vans, four cigarette butts, and an empty shell)
The two – a white Toyota Hiace and a grey Starex van – were reported to have been parked near the Emerald Arcade Building where Cui was shot.
The third, a black Toyota Innova, was seen in the village of Quezon hours after the shooting based on closed circuit TV footages.
Police have also recovered an empty shell near the spot where Cui was hit.
Community sources told DNX it could have been from a 45 caliber pistol fired by a security escort of Cui who was seated on a bench outside the building.
Police are also waiting for a facial composite sketch based on the description of a security guard who saw someone break off a tree branch near the spot where the vans were parked.
