The Philippine National Police-Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (PNP-CIDG) has filed two counts of murder against five individuals in connection with the deaths of beauty queen Geneva Lopez and her Israeli boyfriend, Yitzhak Cohen. The charges were lodged with the Department of Justice on Wednesday.
Col. Thomas Valmonte, CIDG’s legal officer, declined to name the suspects but revealed that they allegedly conspired in a meeting to plan the killings. “There was a meeting where they planned the actual murders of the two victims,” Valmonte said in an ABS-CBN News report.
According to the investigation, two of the suspects were responsible for shooting the victims, while another assisted in disposing of their bodies. The remaining individuals were involved in the planning and were also included in the complaint.
The motive behind the crime reportedly revolved around a property transaction involving the victims and the suspects. Valmonte explained that the suspects had mortgaged land to the victims and sought to reclaim it, leading to the fatal encounter.
Lopez’s sister, Joni, expressed their family’s determination to seek justice, stating, “Of course, we want justice. We want everyone involved to be held accountable. That is our only wish.”