Rogelio Canilao
An elderly man beat his estranged wife to death with an unknown object and called 911 late Thursday, authorities said. Rogelio Canilao, 81, is charged with second-degree murder out of Honolulu, Hawaii, for allegedly killing Teresita Canilao, 76, according to local outlets.
Officers claim they arrived at the apartment on Sheridan Street in the Ala Moana neighborhood to find him covered in blood — with blood spatter on his chest and legs, and his socks soaked.
“I murdered my wife,” he allegedly told the authorities upon their arrival, according to documents obtained by Hawaii News Now.
Investigators determined the suspect beat the victim to death, but they described the object as unknown. Authorities did not suggest a motive.
“My understanding is they’ve been separated for many years,” Teresita’s long-time friend State Sen. Bennette Misalucha said, according to KITV.
“I didn’t hear anything,” neighbor and friend Fred Paulo said, according to Hawaii News Now. “There were no strange noises last night.”
Teresita was a long-time staffer with the Philippine Consulate of Honolulu.
“She was the secretary to the consul general, and consul generals came and went, but Tessie was this bastion of stability there,” said Misalucha, who reportedly knew her for more than 35 years, according to Hawaii News Now.
“She’d tell you everything about the history and how things could be harnessed to make the Filipino community and the consulate work even more closer together,” said Paul Cortes, who served as consul general from 2006 to 2013.
The consensus from friends is that Teresita’s death is shocking. They described her in glowing terms.
“She shunned the limelight,” Misalucha reportedly said. “She was one of those who quietly worked in the background. And so how she lived is such a stark contrast to how she died.”
“For a tragedy of this sort is so unbecoming of a woman not deserving of what happened to her,” long-time friend Amelia Cabatu reportedly said.
“It was a shock, really,” Cortes said. “And everybody started exchanging messages with everybody who knew. Some people from Hawaii, some of the diplomats are in Singapore now, some are in Manila, some are elsewhere, some are retired.”
“She never discussed her personal life with the community, and sometimes it’s good not to,” Cabatu said. “But it’s also not good to not share what’s troubling you.”
“She would always express how her faith has allowed her to overcome a lot of adversities in her life and she would always close her conversation with ‘God bless you,'” Misalucha said, according to KITV.
The judge reportedly set Rogelio Canilao’s bond at $1 million. He spoke at his hearing on Monday, appearing through a video feed, but outlets noted that what he said was difficult to understand.
[Screenshot via Hawaii News Now]