Manila - A suspect in the killing of a US Peace Corps
volunteer in the northern Philippines surrendered to police Friday
after confessing to the crime in a television interview.
Juan Duntugan, 25, a woodcarver, was accompanied by his mother
when he turned himself over to the provincial police office in Lagawe
town in Ifugao province, 290 kilometres north of Manila.
In an interview with ABS-CBN television before his surrender to
authorities, Duntugan admitted killing US Peace Corp volunteer Julia
Campbell, 40.
'I never planned to kill or hurt Ms. Campbell,' he said. 'But I
admit, I killed her.'
Duntugan said he mistook Campbell for a neighbour whom he has a
grudge against when she bumped into him on a trail to a village in
Banaue town in Ifugao province.
'My mind went blank, I didn't know what or who it was, I just got
a stone and hit her in the head,' he said. 'I didn't plan to kill a
visitor.'
Superintendent Joseph Adnol, a regional police spokesman, said
police were still building a case against Duntugan.
'We have no grounds to hold him because there is no arrest warrant
yet,' he said. 'We will just interview him first. We hope he can
contribute to shed light on what happened to the victim.'
The US embassy said it was pleased with Duntugan's surrender, but
declined to comment further until the police completed the
investigation.
Campbell went missing on April 8 while on a hike to the famed
Banaue Rice Terraces in Ifugao. Her decomposing body was found buried
in a shallow grave 10 days later.
An autopsy showed that she died from severe blows to the head.
Witnesses had told investigators that they saw Duntugan fleeing
from the area where Campbell's body was found.
While police initially theorized that robbery was behind the
killing, Duntugan denied taking any of Campbell's belongings.
He also expressed remorse for killing Campbell.
'If I could only bring her back to life, I would, but that's no
longer possible,' he said. 'Whatever punishment will be given to me,
I will accept it.'
On Thursday, Campbell's body was cremated in Manila. Her ashes
were brought back to the US early Friday by a US Peace Corp officer
in the Philippines.
Campbell was one of 137 Peace Corps volunteers in the Philippines.
She arrived in March 2005 and taught at a college in the eastern city
of Legazpi.
The US embassy said more than 8,000 Peace Corps volunteers have
served in the Philippines since 1961, making it the second-oldest
Peace Corps programme in the world.
© 2007 dpa - Deutsche Presse-Agentur 
USA
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