Guilt-ridden Layese endeavors to exonerate self in the lawyer's murder case.

New Take:

Retired Army Colonel Edwin F. Layese has broken his silence regarding the 2020 murder of lawyer Joey Luis Wee, claiming he was merely the middleman in the plot and revealing the alleged real masterminds behind the assassination. This revelation comes following the Supreme Court's decision to charge retired Court of Appeals Associate Justice Isaias Dicdican with gross misconduct for his purported involvement in Wee's death.

In a statement sent to our Cebu based site on April 24, 2025, Layese admitted to connecting the hired gunmen, allegedly linked to the Agustin/Palparan group, to two supposed masterminds: Dicdican and a woman known only as "Miss Riza" or "Risa." Layese asserted that Miss Riza held a grudge against Wee after losing a legal case, in which she was ordered to pay a significant amount to Wee's clients, and had allegedly been bullied by Wee in and out of court.

When Wee was gunned down by two assailants as he walked from his car to his law office in Cebu City on Nov. 23, 2020, the gunmen were said to be hired by the unnamed masterminds. Layese's judicial affidavit of confession, executed on Dec. 14, 2023, already submitted to both the Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 14 in Cebu City and the National Bureau of Investigation-Central Visayas, was utilized by the Department of Justice in applying for a Precautionary Hold Departure Order (PHDO) before RTC Branch 19 against Dicdican and Miss Riza on Feb. 2, 2025. Layese served as one of the witnesses supporting the PHDO application.

Layese's camp clarified that he is not seeking immunity for his role in the killing of Wee. He maintains that he is the least culpable among the accused and is exploring the possibility of applying as a state witness or entering into a plea bargain agreement with the government in exchange for his testimony against the real masterminds. According to his legal counsel, Layese has since been plagued by guilt over his involvement in the case and wishes to come clean and ask for the Wee family's forgiveness.

The hearing for Layese's case is scheduled to continue on Friday, April 25 at RTC Branch 14 in Cebu City. It remains to be seen if the State will consider a form of quid pro quo in return for Layese's sworn testimony, as his camp believes it would be fair given the reliance on his testimony in the administrative and criminal proceedings against the alleged masterminds.

Retired Army Colonel Edwin F. Layese's revelation about the 2020 murder of lawyer Joey Luis Wee in Cebu City has led to politics and general-news discussions about crime and justice.
Layese, in his judicial affidavit of confession, allegedly named retired Court of Appeals Associate Justice Isaias Dicdican and a woman known as "Miss Riza" or "Risa" as the real masterminds behind Wee's assassination.
The Department of Justice has utilized Layese's statement in applying for a Precautionary Hold Departure Order (PHDO) against Dicdican and Miss Riza, citing the Cebu City-based case as part of the general-news and crime-and-justice categories.
Layese's legal counsel revealed that he is considering entering into a plea bargain agreement with the government, hoping to atone for his role in the crime and receive some form of justice or leniency.
The hearing for Layese's case at RTC Branch 14 in Cebu City will discuss his potential status as a state witness, a decision that could impact the future investigation and justice for the Wee family.
As the court proceedings progress, the public awaits a resolution of the crime committed in November 2020, one that brings justice for the victim and accountability for the alleged masterminds.