PHILIPPINE National Police-Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (PNP-CIDG) agents captured the brains in the murder of reelected barangay chairperson and her husband in Ramos, Tarlac last Thursday, PNP-CIDG director Major General Romeo M. Caramat Jr. announced Friday.

Members of the CIDG Region 3 Field Unit under Lieutenant Colonel Sancho DJ Mercado arrested Jessie Mendoza, 34, in Purok 3, Brgy. Carbonel in Gerona, Tarlac past 7 a.m. Thursday, the official said.

Caramat said the suspect was tagged by the arrested gunman who killed Editha Zarzuela, 61, chairwoman of Brgy. Plastado, Gerona and her husband Edgar, 68, as among those who plotted the murder of the barangay official.

“According to him, after the killing siya mismo ang nag-turn over ng baril kay Jessie Mendoza on the same date ng shooting incident pati na rin ang motorcycle na ginamit.

Bukod dito, base sa ibinunyag ng gunman, si Jessie Mendoza ang isa sa mga utak sa nasabing pagpatay at nagsilbing spotter kung saan patungo ang mga biktima gayundin ang mga aktibidad nito noong araw ng pamamaril,” said the PNP-CIDG director.

The official said the barangay official was killed as she was a main rival of the other suspects, mostly local residents acting as ‘agents’ of people selling their land in the area.

Caramat said that a search of the suspect’s residence resulted in the recovery of a sling bag with a hand grenade, a caliber .45 semi-automatic pistol with six live ammunition, a 12-gauge shotgun ammunition, seven Carbine bullets, five cal. .45 ammunition, five live cal. .38 ammunition, 15 rounds of 9mm ammunition, 10 live cal. 40 ammunition and 14 9mm ammos.

He said that the confiscated cal. .45 pistol matched the description of the gunman who killed the Zarzuela couple.

“That pistol will be submitted to the PNP Forensic Group for a ballistics and cross-matching examination, the PNP-CIDG director said.

The suspect is now being held at the Tarlac CIDG Provincial Field Unit detention cell.

He will be facing a double murder case as well as illegal possession of firearms and explosives under Republic Act 10591 or the Comprehensive Firearms and Ammunition Regulations Act of 2013 and RA 9516 or illegal possession of explosives.

The victims were riding their bicycles when a motorcycle-riding assassin shot them in Brgy. San Juan in Ramos, Tarlac.

Zarzuela had just won her 3rd term as chairperson of Bgy. Plastado at the time of her muder.

The two suffered multiple gunshot wounds in their bodies and died on the spot.

The Special Investigation Task Group Zarzuela was created to spearhead the probe into the killing and the hunt for the gunmen and the ‘brains’ behind the dastardly crime.