A 42-year-old priest accused of rape was shot dead in the southern Philippines, police said Tuesday.
The body of Father Rene Regalado was found near a monastery in Malaybalay City in Bukidnon province, some 800 kilometres south of Manila, on Sunday evening.
A police officer on his way home saw the priest’s body near a parked vehicle and rushed him to a nearby hospital, where he was declared dead on arrival.
Witnesses said they heard five gun shots before the body was found, and police said he was shot in the back of his head.
Investigators said they were looking into the possible connection between a rape case filed against Regalado and his killing.
The priest was accused of raping a girl volunteering at his parish last year, and a criminal complaint was filed against him.
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