Authorities Arrest One of Five Suspects Linked to Missionary Slaying
A man who was arrested Wednesday for illegal possession of firearms has confessed to being one of five suspects linked to the murder of an American missionary to the Philippines
A man who was arrested Wednesday for illegal possession of firearms has confessed to being one of five suspects linked to the murder of an American missionary to the Philippines in her house beside Atlantis Beach Resort in Barangay Lipayo, Dauin.
As reported by the Philippines-based Sun Star news agency, the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) arrested 51-year-old Ricardo Yanson in his home in Bajumpandan Wednesday after they received a tip from a concerned citizen about his alleged involvement in gunrunning.
While speaking with CIDG’s provincial inspector Joie Pacito Yape, Jr., Yanson confessed his role in the murder of Kyong Cha Pokrzywinski, the 50-year-old missionary of Korean descent, after the "mastermind" behind the slaying failed to pay him the promised 50,000 Philippine Pesos ($900 USD) for the killing of Pokrzywinski. Yanson, however, refused to identify the mastermind, only saying he lives in one of the villages outside but near Dumaguete City.
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Yanson also said he did not know why the mastermind had wanted to kill the missionary.
According to the Sun Star, Yanson said that on Dec. 3, 2004, he, the mastermind's two nephews, and another woman—all of whom he refused to identify—went to Lipayo, where he and the two male suspects proceeded into Pokrzywinski’s house. Yanson said the female suspect served as a lookout.
Minutes later, one of the nephews shot the missionary twice on the head with a 22-caliber gun.
Pokrzywinski was found dead shortly afterwards.
According to the Sun Star, Pokrzywinski—whose husband is a retired U.S. military officer of Polish descent from Michigan—had moved to the province of Negros Oriental in the late 1990's to help propagate her faith by helping the poor and building churches in the village of Valencia and Dauin.
Following Pokrzywinski’s death, former Philippines President Fidel Ramos had reportedly endorsed his support to the investigation to identify and prosecute the person or persons linked to the slaying.
The Sun Star reports that a murder charge will be filed against the suspects before the city fiscal's office on Friday and a request will be made to the Department of Justice to place Yanson under its witness protection program. In the meantime, Yanson's family has been placed on tight security.
