Philippine officials say suspect in the killings of 2 Australians and a Filipina has surrendered

A suspect in the killing of two Australian nationals and a Filipino is escorted by police following his surrender in Tagaytay city, Cavite province Philippines on Wednesday, July 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)

TAGAYTAY, Philippines (AP) -

The suspect in the killings of two Australians and their Filipina companion last week at a hotel in a popular resort city south of the Philippine capital has surrendered, officials said Wednesday.

The victims, whose hands and feet were tied, were found sprawled on the floor in a room at the Lake Hotel in Tagaytay city a week ago. Police at the time said it was a rare heinous crime in a tourism destination largely known for a scenic volcano nestled amid a lake, abundant tropical fruits and the hospitality of its people.

Tagaytay police chief Charles Daven Capagcuan told The Associated Press that the breakthrough in the case came when the suspect was identified by at least three hotel employees based on his image captured by security cameras showing a part of his masked face.

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The identification eventually led authorities to the suspect's home province of Batangas near Tagaytay, where he decided to surrender on Tuesday, Capagcuan said.

Tagaytay city Mayor Abraham Tolentino and Capagcuan presented the handcuffed suspect, wearing a hoodie, dark eyeglasses and a face mask, at a news conference. The man's name was not announced.

The mayor repeated his apology to the relatives of the victims and to Australia for the “brutal crimes” that took place in his city.

“He wanted to get back at the hotel management for his dismissal,” Capagcuan told reporters, adding that the suspect used to work as a swimming pool cleaner at the hotel.

Officials planned to file criminal complaints of robbery in addition to the killings against the suspect, who allegedly acknowledged he took the watch and shoes of the Australian male victim after attacking him with a knife and suffocating his partner, a Filipino woman who had acquired Australian citizenship, and her Filipina daughter-in-law, Capagcuan said.

The woman and her daughter-in-law will be buried in their family's home province in the Philippines while the remains of the Australian man were flown Tuesday to Sydney, Tolentino said.

The Australian couple was supposed to fly back to Australia on July 10, the day they were killed, but decided to briefly take a vacation in Tagaytay, the Filipino son of the slain Australian-Filipino woman has said. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he was fearful after what happened to his mother and given the suspect remained at large at that time.

Tagaytay, about 60 kilometers (37 miles) south of Manila, is popular among local and foreign tourists who flock there for its cool weather and to view one of the world’s smallest active volcanos nestled in the middle of a lake.