On the evening of October 26, 2017, a cry of alarm cut through the night in Pasay City. A resident ran to the local barangay hall, shouting that someone had been left on the street. The witness had seen a car pull over in a darkened alley. A man got out, moved a figure from the vehicle onto the pavement, and then sped away into the darkness.

The victim was identified as 37-year-old Gerardo Maquidato Jr. An official examination would later show that his life was ended by a single gunshot to the back of the head. He was a devoted father of four, a loving husband, and a man who, to the nation, was a celebrated hero.

Many may not have known Gerardo’s name, but millions knew his story. He was “Junji,” the viral Grab driver, a modern-day Good Samaritan whose profound act of kindness had captured the heart of the Philippines a year prior. In August 2016, a woman named Divine booked a ride for her sister, Prima, who was gravely ill. The driver who arrived was Gerardo.

Moved by Prima’s resilience and spirit despite her condition, Gerardo refused to accept any payment for the long trip. It was a simple gesture that meant the world to the struggling patient. Sadly, Prima passed away just days later. Divine shared the story on social media, and it went viral.

Gerardo, a humble and quiet man, shied away from the attention, insisting anyone would have done the same. His compassion continued; he attended Prima’s wake, offered his car for the funeral, and gave a part of his reward from Grab to her family.

This was the man whose life was so senselessly taken. The grief that followed was immense. His wake was filled with fellow drivers, former passengers, and strangers touched by his story. In a tragically ironic twist, Gerardo had often advised his colleagues to never resist a robbery, believing that no amount of money was worth a person’s life.

As his family mourned, a major investigation was launched. With no known enemies, investigators focused on his last digital records. A breakthrough came when a woman came forward. Her Grab account had been used to book one of Gerardo’s last, uncompleted rides. It wasn’t her, she insisted, but her live-in partner: a 25-year-old man named Nicolo de Lemos.

A check into Nicolo’s background revealed a disturbing history. He was already a fugitive, wanted for a separate incident in 2014 where he was the main suspect in the de@th of his 16-year-old friend, Gino Balbuena, following a dispute during a basketball game.

On November 7, 2017, authorities apprehended Nicolo in Pasay. Gerardo’s stolen vehicle was recovered at a construction site in Tarlac. In custody, Nicolo admitted his involvement. He claimed he only intended to rob Gerardo, but that the driver resisted, which led to the fatal outcome. He offered an apology, saying he was unaware of the driver’s heroic reputation.

The families of both Gerardo and Gino felt that justice was finally on the horizon. But their hopes were shattered. On August 15, 2018, news broke that Nicolo de Lemos had escaped from the Pasay City Jail. The public was outraged, and Gerardo’s family was thrown back into a state of fear and despair.

For three months, Nicolo was a ghost. The manhunt came to a dramatic conclusion on November 25, 2018. Acting on a tip, a police team led by Senior Inspector Manuel Taytayon Jr. raided a hideout in Baclaran. Cornered, Nicolo opened fire, and a shootout ensued.

When it was over, Nicolo de Lemos’s run from the law was permanently finished. But the operation came at a steep price: Senior Inspector Taytayon also lost his life in the line of duty.

The search for justice for the Good Samaritan had ended, but not without further tragedy. It was a violent conclusion to the story of a man who lived his life with peace and compassion, a life taken by a fugitive who, in the end, caused even more sorrow.