In the early hours of September 2, 2009, the quiet neighborhood of Barangay West Triangle in Quezon City was shattered by violence. Inside a home on the usually safe Times Street, renowned Filipino film critic Alexis Tioseco and his Slovenian girlfriend, Nika Bohinc, also a respected film critic and writer, were found lifeless. What initially appeared to be a tragic case of a burglary gone wrong would soon unravel into a story of calculated betrayal orchestrated from within their own home.

Alexis Tioseco, born in 1981, was a passionate advocate for Philippine cinema. After moving back to the Philippines from Canada in 1996, he eventually found his calling not in the family’s hauling business, but in film criticism. He founded the influential website Criticine.com in 2005, championing Filipino indie films and gaining international recognition, attending prestigious festivals in Berlin, Singapore, and Paris.

Nika Bohinc, born in 1979, was a prominent Slovenian film critic, writer, and former editor-in-chief of the film magazine Ekran. She met Alexis at the Rotterdam Film Festival in January 2007. Their connection was instant, described by Alexis as more than just love at first sight; he was captivated by her intellect and way of speaking. After a 16-month long-distance relationship, Nika moved to Manila to live with Alexis in his Times Street home.

Life seemed content for the couple. Nika, described as independent and adventurous, explored Manila while Alexis continued his influential work. According to their long-time housekeeper, Magdalena “Manang” Patpat, Nika preferred to clean their room herself and handle her own meals. She was scheduled to return to Slovenia for a family visit on September 3, 2009.

Just weeks before this tragedy, in July 2009, Alexis hired a new house helper, Criselda Dayag, then 41. Recommended by the family’s long-time foreman, Criselda presented a police clearance stating “no derogatory record” but lacked an NBI clearance, claiming she couldn’t afford it. Despite Alexis’s usual caution, he hired her with reservations, asking Manang to keep an eye on her. Criselda seemed efficient, quiet, and trustworthy. Days before the incident, she asked for a PHP 3,000 salary advance for a sick relative, which Alexis kindly granted.

On the evening of September 1, 2009, Alexis and Nika went out for dinner. Manang Patpat and Criselda Dayag were watching TV in the maids’ quarters. Around 7:45 p.m., after receiving a text, Criselda stepped out, claiming to call her father. Shortly after, the family dog, Astor, began barking repeatedly. Manang checked the premises but found nothing unusual. Criselda returned, only to step out again moments later. When Astor barked again, Manang opened the main gate to check the street, finding it empty.

Upon returning inside and exiting the bathroom, Manang was ambushed. A man covered her mouth, threatening to take her life if she screamed. She saw Astor confined and watched in horror as Criselda let two more men into the house. They bound and gagged Manang, locking her in the maids’ quarters. For hours, she heard the men ransacking the house, praying Alexis and Nika wouldn’t return.

Her fears became reality around midnight when the doorbell rang. She heard a commotion, followed by gunshots and screams. The intruders remained inside for some time after the sounds of violence ceased. Early on September 2, authorities arrived, alerted by an unspecified call for help. They freed Manang, who ran towards the kitchen, screaming for Alexis and Nika to be taken to the hospital. An investigator gently told her it was too late.

Manang later corroborated friend Gang Badoy’s account of a disorganized crime scene investigation, noting investigators even asked her for blankets to use as body bags and tape to secure them. As she was escorted out, overwhelmed by reporters, she cried out, “God is not sleeping! He knows what she did!” identifying Criselda as the accomplice.

Police immediately launched a manhunt for Criselda Dayag and three unidentified men. Using a photo from Criselda’s police clearance application, they alerted the public. They also released a sketch of one accomplice, controversially identifying him as Danilo “Danny” Jomoc, the Tioseco family’s truck driver of 16 years. Jomoc, who Alexis considered family, vehemently denied involvement, providing an alibi that he was hauling petroleum gas in Batangas City at the time.

Manang Patpat also stated Jomoc was not among the intruders. Despite the weak evidence and Manang’s testimony, Jomoc was arrested and charged, though the case against him was eventually dismissed due to lack of evidence. The investigation stalled for years. Criselda Dayag and the other accomplices remained elusive, despite friends and family offering a one-million-peso reward.

Finally, in February 2016, nearly seven years later, a tip led police to Criselda Dayag in Angeles City. Authorities discovered she had a history of similar crimes, with an outstanding robbery case in Pasay following the same modus operandi: gain employment as a house helper, then facilitate a robbery with accomplices.

One of the male suspects was identified as Danny “Baklan” Lapitaje through fingerprint matches linking him to the Tioseco crime scene and a previous robbery in Antipolo. However, Lapitaje remains at large, along with the third unidentified man.

Criselda Dayag pleaded not guilty. During her trial in May 2018, she bizarrely claimed Manang Patpat let the robbers in and that she herself was abducted and forced into servitude by the suspects until she escaped. Judge Editha Mina-Aguba dismissed her claims, finding her guilty of robbery with homicide.

Dayag was sentenced to reclusion perpetua, effectively life imprisonment with a minimum of 40 years, and ordered to pay damages to the families. The families of Alexis and Nika expressed satisfaction with the verdict, finding some solace that Dayag would remain behind bars, unable to victimize others. The tragic case serves as a chilling reminder that danger can sometimes come from those welcomed into the perceived safety of one’s own home.