What Happened to De Lima's Bodyguard?

There is something very strange about this story which starts in May 13,2012, but before anything else, make sure you read the two Inquirer and the ABSCBN reports to appreciate the whole picture.

Read the following show below:

De Lima bodyguard had bite marks, autopsy shows
Robbery charges filed vs 5 men in De Lima aide slay
Bro of slain De Lima aide files raps vs robbery gang

Why is this story strange?

The police report says:

The robbery gang had 7 members inside the FX? That means nearly half of all the passengers were robbers.
The inquirer said that "The justice secretary said that inside the vehicle with Quintos were the five suspects and two female members of the robbery gang, as well as the other passengers.
“He (Quintos) had cuts and bruises on the bridge of his nose, upper lip, nape and forearm leading the members of the team to conclude that Quintos was beaten up before he was killed,”
An apparent scuffle could explain the bite mark on Quintos’ left arm, it was difficult to determine why there were teeth impressions on his right cheek. “The teeth impressions were those of the upper set,” the NBI official said.
De Lima’s bodyguard was instantly killed by a bullet that pierced his chest, hit the upper and lower lobes of his left and right lung as well as the left ventricle of the heart before exiting through his back.

The Questions:

Why were there bite marks? Are there any explanation from the arrested holduppers why there were bite marks?
According to De Lima, “When the holdup was declared, Ali [Quintos] drew out his gun and shot [one of the suspects, Bellera] but unfortunately, his gun jammed [soon after] … and he was shot by the gang leader,” De Lima said, noting that her security aide was an expert marksman and “had his gun not jammed, he would have shot the gang members.”
But if it was just a robbery, why would the killer “deliberately scattered” the victim’s personal belongings?

Conflicting Stories:

In the Inquirer report shown below, De Lima said that Quintos gun jammed, but in the ABS-CBN News filed by Ina Reformina, it says that Quintos shot Jun Bellera,

There are many conflicting stories that gives rise to questions. In your opinion, should this case be reopened?

Here is the challenge, why not do your own investigation and find out how good a detective you are.

The basis of my comments are the two Inquirer stories shown below.

De Lima bodyguard had bite marks, autopsy shows
Jeannette I. Andrade - Philippine Daily Inquirer
04:53 AM May 13th, 2012

MANILA, Philippines—The slain bodyguard of Justice Secretary Leila de Lima was “bitten and beaten” before he was shot, a National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) official revealed on Saturday.
While an autopsy has established what caused the death of 32-year-old Alister Quintos, investigators said they also found “bizarre” bite marks on the victim’s right cheek and left arm.

Reynaldo Esmeralda, the NBI deputy director for technical services, said that based on the results of the autopsy conducted late Friday, apart from the bullet wound on the left side of the chest, he had several cuts and bruises on his face and body.

“He (Quintos) had cuts and bruises on the bridge of his nose, upper lip, nape and forearm leading the members of the team to conclude that Quintos was beaten up before he was killed,” he said.

He pointed out that while an apparent scuffle could explain the bite mark on Quintos’ left arm, it was difficult to determine why there were teeth impressions on his right cheek. “The teeth impressions were those of the upper set,” the NBI official said.

Bullet hit vital organs

It was also discovered that De Lima’s bodyguard was instantly killed by a bullet that pierced his chest, hit the upper and lower lobes of his left and right lung as well as the left ventricle of the heart before exiting through his back.

“Tattooing around the bullet entry wound indicates that he was shot at close range and the contusion collar around the exit wound shows that he was shot either with his back against a wall or lying down,” Esmeralda said.

According to Esmeralda, an inspection of the crime scene at Barrio Garlang in San Ildefonso, Bulacan, showed the killer “deliberately scattered” the victim’s personal belongings. But he stressed that an inventory of the items, to determine which belongings were missing, was still being conducted.

“The impression given by these findings is that Quintos was captured and beaten up by the suspect,” Esmeralda said, adding that the victim was 5 feet 8 inches tall and muscular and had to be subdued by the killer.

He said the NBI has formed a special task force to determine the circumstances which led to the killing.

Robbery charges filed vs 5 men in De Lima aide slay
By: Christine O. Avendaño - Philippine Daily Inquirer
11:00 PM October 22nd, 2012

MANILA, Philippines—More than five months after the security aide of Justice Secretary Leila de Lima was shot dead and his body dumped in Bulacan province, charges of robbery with homicide were filed on Monday against five men linked to his killing.

The case was filed in the Department of Justice by the brother of the victim, Alister Quintos, who, according to a witness, was killed by members of a gang of robbers targeting FX and AUV taxis in Metro Manila and nearby areas.

Almario Rentillosa, a member of the gang, has offered to testify against his former cohorts in exchange for his entry into the Witness Protection Program (WPP).

In the complaint filed by Quintos’ brother Adrian, the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) recommended the prosecution of five suspected gang members identified as Ritchie John Cahinta; Rentillosa, who served as the group’s driver; Jun Bellera; Ferdinand Paragas; and Chris de la Cruz.

Among those charged, only Rentillosa and Cahinta—who is said to be the gang leader—are in the custody of the police.

Eight other members are also detained following their arrest at a police checkpoint and subsequent follow-up operations.

“I’m happy and I want to thank the NBI and DOJ for their help and effort and Secretary De Lima for continuously monitoring this,” said Quintos’ brother as he added that the family was finally seeing progress in the case following a five-month-long wait for justice to be served.

According to him, the suspects should face the appropriate penalty for their actions, “even the death penalty, if possible.”

Quintos’ body was found in San Ildefonso, Bulacan, last May 10.

Speaking to reporters, De Lima said that based on the testimony of Rentillosa, Quintos was killed because he resisted when the gang started taking his valuables as well as those of the other passengers while they were traveling along Cogeo, Antipolo City.

“When the holdup was declared, Ali [Quintos] drew out his gun and shot [one of the suspects, Bellera] but unfortunately, his gun jammed [soon after] … and he was shot by the gang leader,” De Lima said, noting that her security aide was an expert marksman and “had his gun not jammed, he would have shot the gang members.”

The justice secretary said that inside the vehicle with Quintos were the five suspects and two female members of the robbery gang, as well as the other passengers. But she said that during the shooting, one of the passengers was able to escape and “until now … has not surfaced.’’

“At least, we are close to getting justice [for Quintos],” she said, adding that she would leave it to the WPP to determine if Rentillosa was qualified to turn state witness.

Rentillosa’s lawyer, Jose Marie Carbonell, told reporters that his client was also a victim of the gang since they threatened to kill him if he did not take part in their operations.—With Tetch Torres, INQUIRER.net

Bro of slain De Lima aide files raps vs robbery gang
By Ina Reformina, ABS-CBN News
Posted at Oct 22 2012 02:41 PM | Updated as of Oct 22 2012 10:41 PM

MANILA - A complaint for robbery with homicide was filed on Monday against members of the notorious UV-GT Express Robbery Holdup Gang by the brother of the slain aide of Justice Secretary Leila De Lima.

Adrian Quintos, brother of De Lima’s aide, Alister, filed the complaint with the Department of Justice (DOJ) against Ritchie John Cahinta, Almario Rentillosa, Jun Bellera, Ferdinand Paragas and Chris Dela Cruz.

Alister was killed on May 10, 2012. His body was found dumped in San Ildefonso, Bulacan.

Based on the 6-page complaint, Alister was picked up by the respondents along Cogeo, Antipolo City.

Alister reportedly shot suspect Bellera after the suspects declared a robbery. He was, however, outnumbered and subsequently allegedly shot by Cahinta.

Bellera was treated for a gun shot wound at East Avenue Medical Center, based on an investigation by authorities.

“The physical evidence recovered by the Philippine National Police relative to the investigation of Quintos case were turned over to the NBI on 16 October 2012 for further technical and forensic examination, thus, the silver Mitsubishi Adventure with plate number TXO215, the slug recovered from the said vehicle, and the firearm recovered a .45 caliber Colt M1991A1 pistol were subjected to technical and forensic examination,” the complaint read.

The respondents were charged before a Parañaque trial court last week for violation of Presidential Decree 1866 or the Illegal Possession of firearms and explosives.