The hotel worker accused of killing an Australian couple and their family member while on holiday in the Philippines allegedly “wanted revenge” on his employer after being fired from his job.
David James Fisk, 57, his wife Lucita Barquin Cortez, 55, an Australian citizen born in the Philippines, and their daughter-in-law Mary Jane Cortez, 30, were found dead at The Lake Hotel in Tagaytay, Cavite province, southwest of Manila.
Hotel staff made the discovery on July 10 when the trio failed to leave their room.
All three victims were reportedly found face down with their hands and feet bound and duct tape over their mouths.
In a press conference on Wednesday, Tagaytay Police Chief Charles Daven M Capagcuan revealed that a man “surrendered” to officers at 1.38am on Wednesday in connection with the killings.
The 33-year-old man, known by the alias ‘Ronel’, was a former employee of the hotel, according to the Cavite Provincial Police Office report.
“The course of the investigation revealed that the suspect took revenge on the hotel management for his dismissal, which led to the tragic murder of the victims,” the report said.
Mr Capagcuan told reporters at the news conference that Ronel worked as a pool cleaner at the hotel and “wanted to get revenge on the hotel management for his dismissal.”
A man suspected of killing an Australian couple and their family member while they were on holiday in the Philippines has handed himself in to police (pictured)
Police said the man (pictured) was a disgruntled former employee of the hotel where the bodies were found.
Tagaytay City Mayor Abraham Tolentino and Capagcuan introduced the suspect in a press conference.
The man was led into the room in handcuffs and was wearing a hooded jacket, dark sunglasses and a black mask.
Mr Capagcuan said the suspect “surrendered” to authorities after police went to his home in Batangas province, near Tagaytay, on Tuesday night.
The development comes after police spent the last week searching for a man who was seen on CCTV footage leaving the room on the day of the alleged murders.
The hotel’s security camera footage showed the man leaving the room wearing a black hooded sweater, maroon shorts, sneakers and carrying a black backpack.
Mr Capagcuan said the suspect was identified by at least three hotel employees based on images captured by security cameras.
Police are understood to be planning to charge the suspect with murder and robbery, after he allegedly admitted taking Mr Fisk’s watch and shoes after the attack.
According to local media reports, the hotel’s security guard, Rodney Parahinog, came across the man at 6am on Wednesday at the resort’s entrance gate and asked him where he was going.
Mr Parahinog said the man replied that he was a guest and had a key card for Mr Fisk’s room.
Pictured: Australian citizen David James Fisk, 57, his Philippine-born Australian wife Lucita Barquin Cortez, 55.
The three murder victims are pictured left and center with another family member (right) during Fisk’s visit to the Philippines with his partner Lucita Barquin Cortez.
Tagaytay City Mayor Abraham Tolentino (center) apologized to the victims’ families and Australia for the brutal killings that occurred in his city.
On Friday, Mr Fisk’s family released a statement sharing their grief as they called for answers about the horrific deaths.
“The love we have for our Father and Lucita is so dear and this situation is like living a nightmare,” the statement read.
‘We pray for answers and the truth about this horrific matter and we simply pray for his safe return to Australian shores.
‘David’s daughters, well-known and much-loved local residents in the Sutherland Shire, ask on behalf of his family that the media respect our privacy at this incredibly difficult and tragic time and we will not be making any further comment.’
The family has created a GoFundMe to help “gain support in obtaining justice for all loved ones involved” and will be used to “help alleviate the financial stress and burden that will arise from this incredibly difficult time.”
Mr Fisk’s body will be repatriated to Sydney, while both women will be buried in the Philippines with the government paying for their funeral and burial.
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