Summary
Highlights
The video introduces Norriebi Tria, known as Ebeng Mayor on TikTok, who gained significant social media fame during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2021. Ebeng, a joyful and openly proud member of the LGBTQ+ community, was a charismatic individual who used her online platform to entertain and inspire, accumulating over 70,000 followers and 634,000 likes. Her mother, Cherry, describes Ebeng as talented, resourceful, and dedicated to supporting her family, dreaming of building them a house to escape poverty.
On May 17, 2021, Ebeng told her mother she was going to a friend's birthday party and would return quickly. However, she never came back, and her phone was unreachable, causing great anxiety for her family. Three days later, on May 20, 2021, residents of Sitio Bakal discovered a foul odor leading to the discovery of a naked, decomposed body in a grassy area. Barangay official Franz Quijano, who responded to the scene, described the shocking and gruesome nature of the crime, noting a piece of wood inserted into the victim's private parts, indicating torture.
The Criminal Investigation and Detection Unit was alerted, and Police Staff Sergeant Jerome Mendez took charge. The body was badly decomposed and unrecognizable, with no personal belongings to aid identification, only tattoos: 'Isheng' on one arm and a diamond on the other. Unexpectedly, a man named Zander dela Cruz, alias Dugong, approached authorities, claiming to be Ebeng's childhood friend and identifying her by the 'Isheng' tattoo. Simultaneously, Ebeng's mother, Aling Cherry, learned about the body discovery and identified her daughter through the unique tattoo, plunging her into immense grief and rage.
The medico-legal report confirmed Ebeng's death was caused by blunt traumatic injuries to the head and penetrating trauma to the vulva and perineum, indicating she was struck and had a wooden object inserted into her private parts. Investigators became suspicious of Dugong due to his extensive knowledge of the crime and his apparent guilt-ridden behavior, leading them to invite him for questioning. Dugong, who Ebeng's mother briefly knew as a friend, eventually confessed to his involvement.
Dugong's extra-judicial confession revealed the gruesome details of Ebeng's final moments. On May 17, 2021, after a drinking session, he and Ebeng, both intoxicated, went to a vacant lot in Sitio Bakal. There, they met two other friends, Nonoy Sablay and Tiago. Nonoy allegedly punched Ebeng, rendering her unconscious, after which all three sexually assaulted her. Nonoy then ordered Dugong to strike Ebeng's head with a rock, to which Tiago enforced with a gun. When Ebeng appeared to still be alive, Nonoy struck her again, likely causing her death, and then inserted a tree branch into her private parts. Based on this confession, Joel Loyola (alias Nonoy) and Richard Araza (alias Tiago) were arrested. Ebeng's cellphone was recovered from Tiago, and a .22 caliber gun was found on Nonoy.
The three suspects, Alexander dela Cruz (alias Dugong), Joel Loyola (alias Nonoy), and Richard Araza (alias Tiago), were charged with rape with robbery and illegal possession of firearms (for Nonoy). The investigators deduced the motive was rooted in Ebeng's beauty, despite her being a lesbian. Seven months later, on September 21, 2021, Judge Ferdinand Baylon sentenced all three to reclusion perpetua (life imprisonment). Joel Loyola and Richard Araza also received an additional four years and two months for theft, and Joel Loyola was convicted of illegal possession of firearms. The convicts are now imprisoned at New Bilibid Prison. For the Tria family, this court verdict brought consolation, but the deep pain of Ebeng's brutal murder remains. The case serves as a sober reminder of the dangers of misplaced trust, even among friends.