By Nancy I. Maanao
Guam police spokesman Sgt. Paul Tapao said officers are in pursuit of Angelica Starr Payne and her alleged accomplice Manny Babauta, for the stabbing of Kenneth Rosario in an NCS jungle area Tuesday.
Mr. Rosario is in the hospital, and told police that Ms. Payne, his ex-girlfriend, lured him into the jungle and stabbed him three times Tuesday night. She and her first cousin, Mr. Babauta - who was wielding a bat - were stripping of their bloodied clothes, when Mr. Rosario was able to get up and run away from them.
His mother, Vivian Rosario, told Kandit News in a phone interview that police officers at the Dededo precinct have told her they're too busy to look for Ms. Payne and Mr. Babauta.
"I do know that a complaint has been filed and forwarded to [Criminal Investigations Division]," Sgt. Tapao said. He confirmed that CID actively is searching for the suspects.
The dispute leading to the stabbing started two Fridays ago, Ms. Rosario told Kandit. That was when Mr. Babauta allegedly stole a car Mr. Rosario was driving. When he asked Ms. Payne to convince her cousin to return the car, she became hostile toward Mr. Rosario, according to his mother. Mr. Rosario and his family (the car belongs to his sister and brother in law) filed a stolen car report with police at the Dededo precinct. They continued communication with Ms. Payne and Mr. Babauta in order to get the car back, after being told by a police officer to go look for the car themselves, and when they find the car, to call police.
The Rosario family, feeling helpless, took to social media to locate the car and to expose Mr. Babauta.
In mobile messages with the Rosario family, Mr. Babauta and Ms. Payne were upset about the Rosarios's public posts about them on Facebook, and Mr. Babauta told Mr. Rosario where he can find the car. The Rosarios located the car in the general vicinity of the area in Mataguac, Yigo, where Mr. Babauta said he would leave the car. Later in the week, Mr. Babauta and Ms. Payne messaged, angry that the Rosarios had not taken down the public postings about the car being stolen.
Fast forward to yesterday afternoon: Ms. Payne called Mr. Rosario at work asking whether the two could work out their relationship, as she claimed she is pregnant with his child. She picked him up from work and drove him to Mataguac, where she picked up Mr. Babauta, who was holding a bat. They then drove to a jungle area near the new dialysis center in NCS, Dededo, where they forced Mr. Rosario to walk further into the jungle.
According to Ms. Rosario's account from her son, Ms. Payne said to Mr. Rosario: "You wanna [expletive] with my family?!" She then started stabbing Mr. Rosario, according to his mother.
Listen to our interview with Ms. Rosario for the full story and to see the pictures of Ms. Payne and Mr. Babauta. If you have information on the whereabouts of these two suspects, please call police right away at 472-8911.
