Mother of Teen Robbed, Murdered; Police Charge Minor

Vanessa Acevedo

It was another deadly weekend and this time, a mother and businesswoman was the target of a robbery and cold-blooded murder. The incident happened at Cocktail Bar and Lounge in Ladyville, at the corner of Perez Road and Woodpecker Street where Vanessa Acevedo lived and operated a bar. And while police have already made an arrest, this offers little consolation to Acevedo’s daughter who’s left behind in grief and other relatives and friends who must now continue on without her. News Five’s Marion Ali has the story in the following report.

Marion Ali, Reporting

Maria Acevedo

Over the Phone: Maria Acevedo, Aunt of deceased

“One witness who mi deh with my niece help her close the place. It seems that two man mi di wait fih deh by the gate so one ah deh entered the yard and asked about the money. So she give ah the purse, then he get close to her to get the purse and then he shot her.”

This is how a grieving aunt relayed to us how an eyewitness briefed the family of the incident that took the life of Vanessa Acevedo. Maria Acevedo told News Five today that her niece was simply trying to make life for herself and her daughter by operating a bar as her means of livelihood. Together, mother and daughter moved to the address only two months ago in June where she operated the Cocktail Bar and Lounge.

Maria Acevedo, Aunt of deceased

“It was her dream to have her own business because she was a hard-working lady since she was young. She work hard fi raise her daughter because ih raise her by herself and she mi just get the chance to get her own business and this is what happened.”

Head of the C.I.B., ASP Alfonso Aban shared with the media that the motive of the killing was robbery.

Alfonso Aban

A.S.P. Alfonso Aban, OC, C.I.B.

“They met a person who informed them that the owner of the bar, Vanessa Acevedo received a gunshot wound to the chest. She was transported to the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital, where she succumbed of her injuries. A minor has been arrested and charged for the crime of murder. The motive is robbery. There is another person that police are looking for at this time, who has revealed that, based on the investigation that has been carried out.”

Aban informed that police recovered the money bag from a street where the accused gunman is believed to have run to immediately after the incident. This is not the first time that violence has visited the area. In July of 2020, Orin Velasquez, popularly known as Bredda O, was shot dead as he was closing his pizza outlet adjacent to this murder scene. A mother and her granddaughter join the rest of the family in mourning the loss of their loved one.

Vanessa Acevedo

“Devastated like her mother too. Yes, they are really sad, they don’t even want to eat anything. They’re devastated. It’s so sad to see how they suffer right now.”

Marion Ali For News Five.