The live-in partner of slain American marine biologist Dr. Kent Carpenter has applied for inclusion in the government’s witness protection program following his fatal shooting in Sibulan, Negros Oriental, last month, a police official said Tuesday, August 4.
Capt. Stephen Jaynard Polinar, spokesperson of the Negros Oriental Police Provincial Office (NOrPPO), said the 37-year-old woman’s application has been endorsed to higher authorities for evaluation and approval.
“Higher authorities will decide on her application for the government’s witness protection program, but we can assure the woman of her safety and security pending the case filed against the suspects in the killing of Dr. Carpenter,” Polinar said.
The woman, through the NOrPPO Women and Children’s Protection Desk, recently filed a rape complaint against one of the three intruders who allegedly entered Carpenter’s residence in Barangay Ajong, Sibulan, on July 12, Polinar said.
He identified the respondent as one of the two suspects arrested shortly after Carpenter, 73, was shot dead. The other arrested suspect is the alleged gunman.
Polinar declined to provide further details on the rape complaint, citing laws that prohibit the disclosure of information involving such cases because of their sensitive nature.
The woman was initially considered a person of interest in the investigation but was later reclassified as the prosecution’s primary witness after positively identifying the suspects in Carpenter’s killing.
Earlier reports said medical examinations showed no apparent signs of rape or physical injuries. However, police officials clarified that the findings were inconclusive and that investigators considered other factors in pursuing the complaint.
Prosecutors have filed a robbery with homicide case in court against six suspects. Two are under arrest, while three others are not in police custody after the reglementary detention period had lapsed and one was at large at the time of the case filing, Polinar said.*PNA
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