Mollenido appeals for release from custody
MANILA, Philippines—Police Senior Master Sergeant (PSMS) John Mollenido, tagged as a person of interest in the killing of his wife, PSMS Diane Marie Mollenido, and their eight-year-old boy, John Ysmael, has appealed for his release from restrictive custody, the Philippine National Police (PNP) said on Monday. PNP spokesman Brig. Gen. Randulf Tuaño said that John’s lawyer made the request, citing a lack of direct implication in the crime. "The lawyer of our victim’s husband appealed to have him removed from restrictive custody because he was not mentioned by the victim’s family,” Tuaño told reporters in a press briefing in Camp Crame. “What we really want to say to the PNP, DILG [Department of Interior and Local Government], is that it has been established that my client had no participation in the alleged crime. We are also requesting the police to give my client time to grieve,” Cristobal Rimando, John’s legal counsel, said in a phone interview. “He already lost a family, he was even jailed before he could grieve. And he has already been negatively publicized in the media. Let's have time to grieve. That's what the appeal is all about,” Rimando said. Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla previously said that the car dealer couple, who also happened to be the Mollenido couple’s wedding godchildren, were found to be the killers of Diane and John Ysmael. Also, John’s sister-in-law, Daisie Gabres, has withdrawn the charges against her sister’s estranged husband and even came to his defense. However, John could still possibly face obstruction of justice for having the victim’s clothes incinerated. Rimando said that John has not received any notice for an obstruction of justice case. “Usually, when there's a case for obstruction of justice, there has to be a notice. We have not received a notice yet. In fact, today, we are going to Malolos because, most probably, that case will be filed there,” Rimando said. According to Rimando, the police had custody of Diane's remains, including her dress, and it was they who released the body, including all of her belongings. “So, therefore, there was no intent for my client to damage or ruin the evidence because, in the first place, my client does not have anything to do with that crime,” he said. Rimando also said that John has no motive to commit the crime. “Obstruction of justice requires a motive. What would be his motive, right? Nothing. There's no motive to hide the crime because he is not responsible for it. I repeat, he is not responsible for the crime,” the lawyer said.
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