House helper admits killing elderly couple

March 8, 2024 | 12:00am

MANILA, Philippines — A day after claiming she was innocent, a housemaid has admitted killing an elderly couple in Quezon City.

Marilyn Pandita, 48, gave a detailed account of how she brutally murdered her employers, an 80-year-old man and his 76-year-old wife, at the victims’ house along Stanford street in Barangay E. Rodriguez on Tuesday night.

Pandita is facing complaints for robbery with homicide and arson before the city prosecutor’s office.

When interrogated by police, Pandita said she repeatedly struck the couple with a pipe wrench.

Asked what motivated her to kill the victims, Pandito replied, “Masakit po silang magsalita at nagka-interes din po kasi ako pera.”

Pandita said she first hit the woman twice in the head after the victim came out of the bathroom at around 5 p.m.

After the victim fell to the ground, Pandita struck her again near the ear, killing her on the spot.

At around 6 p.m., Pandita hit her male employer, who was sitting in a chair in the master’s bedroom, three times with the same pipe wrench. The suspect then took the key to the couple’s vault.

She opened the vault, but did not take the victims’ jewelry for fear it would be traced to her. Instead, Pandita took the cash.

After the suspect brought her female employer to the bedroom, Pandita noticed the victim’s husband was still moving.

Pandita took an ice pick and stabbed the man in the face.

The suspect set a blanket on fire to conceal her crime after the couple’s daughter called her and asked her about their situation.

Arson probers from the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) became suspicious when they saw the victims bore head injuries.

Pandita was held by barangay watchmen after she was spotted leaving the crime scene.

She was brought to the barangay hall for investigation, but she escaped by jumping out from the toilet’s window.

Police chased the suspect until she was cornered in Barangay Socorro.

Based on a report they received from the BFP, Quezon City Police District director Brig. Gen. Redrico Marana said the couple did not die from the fire.