GRADUATING STUDENT SA CAVITE NAWAWALA NATAGPUAN SA BALIKBAYAN BOX KAHON

In today’s story, let’s revisit two tragic cases of college students who were unable to finish their studies due to horrifying crimes.

One of the victims came to be known as the “Chop-Chop Lady of Cavite.” She was found lifeless in her dorm room, a truly gruesome discovery made by a fellow boarder. The scene was horrifying, with the young woman having sustained multiple stab wounds. It was especially heartbreaking because the victim was a graduating student.

The victim was identified as Queen Lian, 22 years old. Her family is from Laguna and she was born in October 2000. When she entered college, she took up Computer Science at De La Salle Dasmariñas in Cavite. To be near her university, she rented a dormitory in Brgy. Sta. Fe, Dasmariñas, Cavite.

Hardworking, smart, and kind — that’s how her family and friends described her. Lian was active in school activities, and during her free time, she would go home to her family in Laguna. She loved nature and beach adventures.

Lian performed well in school, and by September 2023, she was supposed to graduate. But all her dreams were cut short by a tragic incident. On March 28, 2023, around 4:00 PM, her classmates contacted her dorm landlady, “Jenny,” because Lian wasn’t answering calls and hadn’t been attending classes.

Jenny, concerned because Lian was known to be responsible and never skipped class, went to the dorm along with Lian’s classmates. They found the door locked from the inside. Jenny called out but received no response. Alarmed, she was forced to break the lock.

What they found inside was shocking — Lian was already lifeless. Everyone panicked, and Jenny quickly called the police. Authorities arrived promptly and began investigating the crime scene. There were no signs of forced entry.

The police questioned other dorm residents, but no one reported hearing any screams that night. A pillow was found covering Lian’s face, and investigators theorized it was used to muffle her. She also had numerous stab wounds all over her body.

There was no evidence of sexual assault, but Lian had defensive wounds, indicating she tried to fight back. The initial police theory was robbery, as many of her belongings were missing.

The investigation intensified, and CCTV footage showed a suspicious man walking near Lian’s dorm around 1:00 AM. It was believed he entered through Lian’s open window. The man wore a blue shirt, black shorts, and a black cap.

He was only seen entering Lian’s room, indicating she was the sole target. Police informed her family. Her grandmother, heartbroken, said they had no enemies and couldn’t understand why this happened to her granddaughter.

The entire De La Salle Dasmariñas community mourned. A march was held with signs demanding justice for Lian, and a prayer vigil was organized.

Former Senator Bong Revilla offered a reward for information on the suspect and even visited Lian’s wake in Laguna. Former Cavite Governor Jonvic Remulla also pledged a personal monetary reward. The bounty grew from PHP 600,000 to PHP 1.1 million.

Thanks to the reward and swift action, police identified the suspect: Angelito Erlano alias “Kulet,” 39 years old, from Brgy. Dasmariñas. Despite living far from the dorm, he targeted Lian. On April 1, 2023, he was arrested at his home. He resisted and tried to stab officers.

Angelito had prior records of theft and even molested his niece, but was never formally charged. At his home, police recovered the clothes he wore during the crime and a bag believed stolen from Lian.

At the police station, Angelito confessed. He claimed he only intended to rob Lian but panicked when she woke up and screamed. He stabbed her and then covered her face with a pillow out of guilt. He asked forgiveness from her family. He remains in jail, but the final verdict has yet to be reported.

Even with his arrest, Lian’s family cannot accept what happened. The pain of losing her will never leave their hearts.

Now to our second story, which also occurred in Cavite and shocked the community of Trece Martires City.

On January 6, 2017, at around 8:00 AM, residents of a subdivision in Brgy. De Ocampo discovered a suspicious sack and box by the roadside. Upon inspection, they found the dismembered body of a person inside.

Police quickly identified the victim through an ID and school materials inside the box. She was Mit Joy, 17 years old, a student at Cavite State University taking up BS Tourism.

Kind, diligent, and religious — that’s how Mit’s family described her. She was intelligent and on a scholarship. She also served as a youth leader in her community, a working student, and a star dancer in her theater group.

But her life was tragically cut short due to misplaced trust.

On January 5, 2017, around 10:00 AM, Mit left home to pay her tuition. That night, her father became worried when she didn’t return. But then he received a text message saying she was sleeping over at a friend’s house named Camille for an early enrollment the next day.

On January 6, her father received a call from police about his daughter’s fate. Devastated, he rushed to Trece Martires and broke down upon seeing her body. The biggest question: Who did this and why such brutality?

The autopsy showed strangulation as the cause of death, and there were signs of sexual assault before she was dismembered. The clean cuts led police to believe the suspect had knowledge of anatomy or butchery.

They interviewed her theater group members and discovered a potential suspect: Alvin de los Angeles, 20, an engineering student and her groupmate. He was a known suitor and had visited Mit’s house multiple times.

Police found it suspicious that Alvin was the first to mention to others about a woman’s body found in a box, speculating it might be Mit’s — even though no one had asked him. His odd behavior raised suspicions.

Brought in for questioning, Alvin initially denied everything. But during intense interrogation, he eventually confessed. He revealed that Mit was actually his ex-girlfriend for four months. After their breakup, he attempted to win her back.

On January 5, 2017, around 3:00 PM, Mit went with Alvin to his dorm. He wanted to reconcile, but they ended up arguing. Mit tried to leave, but Alvin stopped her, leading to an altercation where she slapped him. Enraged, Alvin strangled her and, after she died, allegedly sexually assaulted her.

To hide the crime, he bought a knife and dismembered her body in the dorm bathroom. He placed the parts in a box and sack, stole PHP 500 from her wallet, and rented a tricycle to dump the remains in Trece Martires.

Though Alvin denied the assault, he was charged with murder and rape. It was discovered that Alvin had a Food Technology degree and came from a family that owned a butcher shop — explaining his gruesome ability.

He tested negative for drugs and later asked for forgiveness, claiming he still loved Mit. He remains in jail, but no final verdict has been publicly released.