Suspect in Atio Castillo’s fatal hazing detained at MPD

The suspect in the fatal hazing of freshman law student Horacio "Atio" Castillo III who surrendered to the Manila Police District on Friday afternoon is now being detained alone at the MPD's Homicide Section.

At a press conference on Saturday morning, MPD spokesman Chief Inspector Erwin Margarejo said that John Paul Solano, who was turned over by Senator Panfilo Lacson to the Manila police, was alone in a detention cell.

Margarejo said that Solano has not given any official statement yet and is still waiting for further developments on the case inside his cell. 

Solano was the man who brought hazing victim Atio Castillo to the Chinese General Hospital last Sunday morning.

He has been considered a principal suspect for initially giving "false statements" to the police.

He admitted giving false statements as he apologized to Castillo’s family.

An initial police investigation showed that Solano was a freshman law student at the University of Santo Tomas and a member of the Aegis Juris Fraternity.

He admitted that he was a member of the fraternity, but insisted he did not participate in the initiation rites of Castillo.

On Friday, Aeron Salientes, who has been identified by the Manila Police District (MPD) as a person of interest in the case, went to the NBI to deny he had a hand in the planning and actual hazing rites.

Salientes said he was not in Manila when the incident happened. —LBG/MDM, GMA News