Kares “Ika” De Jesus Mohica was a successful, well-loved supervisor in Olongapo City, known for her protective nature toward her siblings and her loving relationship with her fiancé, Jonathan Delima Villon.

She was a college graduate and her future with Villon was bright.

However, their seemingly idyllic life was shattered on July 24, 2015, the night Ika went out with friends, never to return home.

The tragic events that followed were rooted in Jonathan Villon’s complex past. He had a previous marriage to a woman named Lian in the US, but Villon fled the US with their child to avoid a bitter custody dispute, bringing the child to the Philippines.

Ika, unaware of the full severity of the situation, had inadvertently provided Lian with information that helped her locate her child. Villon, paranoid that Ika would expose his location, decided to silence the one person who could betray his secret.

The relationship, which publicly seemed loving, was internally toxic. Friends testified that Christopher (Jonathan) was consumed by intense, possessive jealousy, often arguing with Ika if she interacted with other men.

This possessiveness was a major red flag that Ika initially tried to manage but ultimately could not control.

The final confrontation occurred on February 1, 2011, at Villon’s house in Pasay. Exhausted by his suspicion, Ika told Christopher she was ending the relationship. Christopher reacted with extreme rage. His brothers, overhearing the confrontation, heard Christopher scream the threat: “If you leave me, I’d rather you pass away so no one else can have you.”

The struggle escalated into a physical assault. Christopher’s brothers ran to call their father, Von Moraleja, a former police official, who arrived and rushed the severely injured Ika to the Pasay City General Hospital.

Tragically, she was pronounced lifeless upon arrival due to multiple stab wounds and signs of asphyxiation.

Christopher, the assailant, fled the scene immediately. His father, Von Moraleja, initially told police he didn’t know his son’s whereabouts but promised to persuade him to surrender. Police launched a massive manhunt for Christopher, listing him as a Most Wanted person.

The investigation quickly established the motive as obsessive jealousy and the desperate need to protect his child custody status. The trail led quickly to the airport: Villon had fled the country to Alaska immediately after the incident.

Due to the suspect being a US citizen, the Philippine National Police (PNP) collaborated with the FBI and US Marshals. Jonathan Villon was apprehended in Iowa less than a month later.

The effort required coordinated action between the Philippine Department of Justice and U.S. federal agencies to secure the necessary extradition paperwork.

After a year-long, complex extradition battle, Villon was successfully returned to the Philippines in May 2016 to face charges. His accomplice, Niño Dela Cruz, was also apprehended.

The prosecution’s case was compelling, built on digital evidence, forensic analysis of the vehicle, and the critical testimony of Ika’s friend, Gina, who witnessed the initial setup.

The seven-year legal battle that followed was difficult for the Mohica family, who waited patiently for resolution. Villon consistently denied his involvement, forcing a trial, but the evidence—including blood matching Ika found in the getaway car—was conclusive.

In November 2022, seven years after the tragic event, Judge Consuelo Amog-Bucar of the Las Piñas Regional Trial Court found both Jonathan Villon and Niño Dela Cruz guilty of homicide.

The judge sentenced them to life imprisonment, with a minimum of 20 years to be served, ensuring the victim’s family finally received closure after the lengthy saga.

The verdict served as a clear statement against the violence and control that ended Krystel’s young life.