By Dominique Gabriel G. Bañaga

The acquitted suspect in the rape and murder of a female student in 2015 was shot dead as he was tending a rice field earlier this week in Sitio Bingi, Barangay III in Himamaylan City, Negros Occidental.

Police identified the fatality as Ricardo Ewayan, the suspect in the Shella Mae Condes rape-slay case in Bacolod City’s Barangay Estefania.

Himamaylan City deputy police chief, Police Captain Romulo Gepilango, said on Monday January 17, that Ewayan was working on the rice fields when he was shot multiple times by a lone gunman.

Gepilango said they are now investigating the case and they are currently eyeing the victim’s rape-slay case as a motive.

In May 10, 2015, Condes, a 19-year-old college student of West Negros University (now STI-WNU), left their house in Barangay Estefania in order to visit her friend in Barangay Villamonte. She boarded a tricycle believed to have been driven by Ewayan.

Condes did not reach her destination and she was later declared missing.

Ewayan was arrested in a follow-up operation by police in Himamaylan City and they recovered Condes’ mobile phone in his possession.

He would then later point to the location of Condes’ remains in a sugarcane field in Barangay Estefania.

At the time it was also believed that Condes was also raped as she was found hogtied and half-naked.

However, the rape allegation was never established by medical examiners as they are unable to prove if she has any lacerations as she was already in an advanced state of decomposition.

In November of 2021, Ewayan was acquitted of the case.

Atty. Arnel Sigue, the lawyer representing on behalf of the Condes family, said the evidence presented by the prosecution was strong, while the testimony made by Ewayan was weak.

However, due to technicalities, the court found the presented evidence to be invalid which ultimately led to the acquittal.

Sigue said the court pointed out that a lawyer should have been present when the police recovered the victim’s mobile phone from Ewayan’s possession, as well as when he pointed where Condes’ remains were located.

As there were no lawyers present during the said recoveries, the court did not accept them as evidence.

Sigue also said the case was handled by at least three judges since 2015 and Ewayan was never found guilty beyond reasonable doubt./DGB, WDJ