A Philippine Airlines flight attendant was raped and killed in a hotel room after a New Year’s Eve party, and 11 men have been arrested for the alleged attack, it was revealed on Tuesday.
Christine Angelica Dacera, 23, was found unconscious in the empty bathtub of her room in Makati City in early January 1, the Daily Inquirer of the Philippines said. Friends and hotel staff took her to a nearby hospital, where she was later pronounced dead, officials told the newspaper.
“According to the initial investigation, sexual abuse took place, “Philippine National Police spokesman Brig. General Ilderbrandi Usana told the newspaper.
He had “lacerations and sperm in his genitals,” as well as scratches on his arms and legs, police said.
Makati city police on Monday filed a provisional charge of rape with murder against 11 men who were with her during the party, according to the newspaper.
Three of them were arrested while the others were still being chased, Makati City Police Chief Harold Deposita told the Daily Inquirer.
“Only three were friends of Dacera. The others were practically unknown to her, as only her three friends knew them, ”said the police chief.
Dacera was a flight attendant for Philippine Airlines (PAL) Express, which he said “mourns the tragic death.”
“Our wish is that the truth comes out in the interest of justice,” the company told the newspaper on Tuesday.
Her mother, Sharon Dacera, appealed to President Rodrigo Duterte, saying her daughter had been “treated like a pig” in the “barbaric” crime.
“Christine doesn’t deserve this brutality … they need to be punished,” the grieving mother said, according to the Daily Inquirer.