Illegal love affair with military officer's wife eyed on Cali Murder - NBI

Given the fact that Ale Cali's no record of drug activity in the City, authorities eyed the case as a cold blooded murder.The two scenarios provided are either a personal grudge or traffic altercation, as detailed by Cali’s anonymous friend, told Mindanao Times report.

“It can be one of two things: it could be a personal grudge or a road rage incident. We’ll find out soon. Last I heard, it’s about a business he invested in.”

The 25-year-old mixed martial fighter was shot in the head by an unidentified gunman in Ulas, Davao City, at around 10:30 am on Sunday, August 16. The tragic news sent shockwaves to Netizens and the MMA community, condemning the murder and appealing for immediate investigation.

The report added that based on an eyewitness account, the victim was shot 3 times by an assailant wearing a helmet, who managed to exit fast towards the Toril area of Davao City on a Honda Wave motorcycle with a temporary plate number.

Cali was alighting from his vehicle when he was approached by the suspect, who then pulled the trigger of an assumed caliber .45 pistol at the back of his head, the same account said.

Before the day he was murdered, Cali and his lawyer reportedly went to NBI office to report that he received various death threats.

Building the puzzles

The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) 11 Regional Director, lawyer Dante Gierran said in an AFP-PNP conference that the cartographic sketch is now with Talomo PNP.

“We cannot release the sketch since it is still under investigation,” Driz said, adding that the information is still for verification and is not final.

He also told reporters that with the sketch report they can’t file a case against the perpetrator.

“We cannot file a case based on the artist sketch presented because we have yet to identify the perpetrator of the crime,” Gierran told Ang Balita Dabaw.

'Military Involvement'

Cali's death still buzzes in the streets over the weekend. According to intelligence report, an alleged Military official of Digos City was the mastermind of the young fighter's death. Another source that speaks with the condition of anonymity confirming the report and reveals that the said military official was already taken down. When ask to name the said official he refuses.

Meanwhile, NBI Director, Gierran clarified that they can’t charge immediately a person through hearsay, as a military official’s involvement in the crime surfaced.

“Even with those allegations, we cannot file a case. It must be backed with concrete evidence,” the NBI Director told Mindanao Times.

“But we can summon the person through subpoena under RA 157, after we have investigated the crime, after building up evidence against the person. The witnesses need to execute an affidavit and some other evidence,” he added.

The report added that Lt. Col. Francis Carter Sibal, Battalion Commander of the Civil Miltary Operation(CMO), said that he has not heard of military intelligence officers being suspects but they are open for investigation on the matter.

“The military can be investigated, we are not exempted by law,”Sibal told Mindanao Times.

'Love Triangle'

Lawyer Archie Albao, NBI XI special Investigator, on Tuesday, August 18, said that although investigators have not dismissed the love triangle theory, they have also started looking into possible motives.

Cali was reported to have been killed because he had an affair with a wife of a military official.

He added that before he was killed, the victim sought the help of the agency after receiving threating messages from unidentified senders. ”He (Cali) texted me last Thursday or Friday na merong sumusunod sa kanya so I advised him na huwag muna lumabas nang bahay at huwag na muna mag trabaho,” Albao said.

He added that even the woman who allegedly was having an affair with Cali also complained to the agency that she was receiving threatening messages. Another thing that complicated the issue was that the victim also had a girlfriend in Japan, told the NBI Director.

Sources (Links in the article): ABDavao | MindanaoTimes

Photo credits : Brigada News FM Davao