The Unlocked Secret: A Self-Confessed Killer and the DNA Test That Solved the Murder of a Star Student

The coastal town of Occidental Mindoro, a place famed for its mountainous terrain and resourceful people who thrive on farming and fishing, was shattered by a crime that struck at the heart of the community’s hope.

Perlito Villafuerte and his wife, Violeta, had dedicated their lives to raising six daughters, often struggling but holding onto the fervent hope that one of their children would lift the family out of poverty. While several daughters married young, their hope was reignited by the second youngest, Eden Joy. Intelligent, diligent, and universally kind, 21-year-old Eden Joy was their beacon. She was artistically gifted, a student leader, and the Vice President of the United Architects of the Philippines Student Auxiliary at the Occidental Mindoro State College (OMSC). Her pursuit of an Architecture degree was a communal effort, supported by her siblings who believed she was the one who would change their destiny.

To facilitate her studies, the family secured an apartment for Eden Joy in Barangay 7, San Jose, a location they deemed safe, featuring a gate and no history of C.R.I.M.E. Technology kept the family close, with frequent video calls and texts alleviating their worries.

Perlito and Violeta were particularly comforted by their daughter’s single-minded focus; she was known to be “No Boyfriend Since Birth” (NBSB), prioritizing her education above all else, which her parents saw as a guarantee of future success. On the evening of June 27, 2023, Perlito and Violeta had a cheerful, final conversation with their daughter, reminding her to rest before her upcoming final exams. They hung up, confident in her ability to excel.

The first signs of trouble arose 48 hours after the scheduled exam date. Eden Joy stopped responding to her parents’ messages. Initial thoughts were that she might be unwinding with friends, perhaps indulging her love for the sea. However, a mother’s instinct prevailed. Violeta grew increasingly anxious; days of silence were completely out of character for her dutiful daughter. On June 30, Violeta decided to travel to San Jose herself. Upon arriving at the apartment complex, she encountered two of Eden Joy’s friends. The sense of dread was immediate. Violeta cautiously entered the compound, noting the dark unit.

A pair of slippers and shoes on the stairs spurred her ascent. Peering through the door, she saw the electric fan running strong, and then, the sight that would forever haunt her: a covered body, with only the feet visible, positioned precariously close to the edge of the mattress. In a state of shock, she rushed back down, screaming for her daughter.

The friends quickly called the authorities. When the police entered the unit, they were met with a powerful, foul odor emanating from the decomposed remains. The sight of Eden Joy’s N.A.K.E.D body immediately raised suspicions of S.E.X.U.A.L assault. The Scene of the Crime Operatives (SOCO) quickly sealed the apartment complex gate and began processing the apartment’s interior and exterior, desperately searching for fingerprints that could lead to the perpetrator. The remains were swiftly transported to the morgue for a post-mortem examination. Meanwhile, the hashtag #JusticeForEdenJoy exploded across the internet, uniting classmates, friends, and the OMSC community in condemnation and grief.

It was revealed that prior to Violeta’s arrival, Eden Joy’s friends had already visited the apartment, concerned by the lack of response. One friend described an unsettling experience: they had sent continuous messages, and though they reached the unit, they received no reply. A growing putrid smell emanating from the unit prompted them to contact the apartment owner.

The owner, arriving with a spare key, was unable to open the door because it was DOUBLE-LOCKED from the inside. The windows were also secured. Driven by a terrible premonition, one of the friends kicked the door open. They forced themselves inside despite the overpowering, nauseating smell, only to find Eden Joy’s lifeless body.

The autopsy provided the first concrete evidence of the brutality. Eden Joy had sustained six s.t.a.b wounds to her body and head. The decomposition state of the body, however, severely hampered the initial investigation.

Further compounding the difficulty was the total absence of security cameras—the apartment complex had none, and the nearby barangay CCTV was discovered to be non-functional, serving only as a mere decoration. Investigators were left with grainy, distant footage from other residents, showing only helmeted motorcyclists, which provided little help.

Interviews with apartment tenants revealed a shocking indifference: several admitted to smelling the foul odor but dismissed it, citing their busy schedules or assuming it was a d.e.a.d animal. However, the narrative shifted dramatically two days after the burial. A rumor spread through the community and social media that the possible perpetrator was the son of the apartment complex owner, alleging that the father had turned him in. The rumor ignited a firestorm of online accusations against the family. The apartment owner publicly refuted the claims, stating that neither he nor his son was the culprit, and their visit to the precinct was merely to provide their statements as part of the police requirement to interview all tenants and owners.

With public pressure mounting, the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) joined the case. More than two weeks after the burial, the NBI pathologist team took the extraordinary step of exhuming Eden Joy’s body to conduct a second, independent autopsy. Just as the investigation was gaining momentum, a new, critical development occurred: an individual voluntarily surrendered to authorities, confessing to the m.u.r.d.e.r. The identity of the man was later revealed as Jeniel Miranda Kakayuran.

Kakayuran’s self-confession was rooted in guilt. He had fled to his sister’s house in Cavite after the crime. Overcome by his conscience, he confessed to his mother, who then convinced him to surrender. He was quickly transported back to Occidental Mindoro. In his sworn affidavit, Kakayuran claimed he intended to rob the apartment complex, having noticed it while riding a borrowed bicycle.

He entered through an open window. Once inside, he encountered Eden Joy asleep. He initially took her bag and cell phone from a table. Still not satisfied, he climbed the stairs and carefully took a cell phone that the victim was still holding, even in her sleep. He was about to leave through the window when Eden Joy awoke, chased him, and screamed for help. In a panic, fearing attention, he covered her mouth and attacked her with a k.n.i.f.e he had found inside the unit.

Crucially, he admitted to r.a.p.i.n.g the victim but claimed his mind went blank, and he couldn’t recall exactly when or how the s.e.x.u.a.l assault occurred. He added that Eden Joy was still alive when he left. After the c.r.i.m.e, Kakayuran spent hours by the sea before deciding to leave the province.

Aboard the ship to Batangas, he confessed his deeds to his cousin. From Batangas, he proceeded to Baclaran, Pasay, where he sold the victim’s phone for a mere P700 and her laptop for P500.

While the cell phone was later recovered with the suspect’s help, the Villafuerte family initially harbored suspicions that Kakayuran was merely a “Fall Guy” (scapegoat), noting that the bag and Kakayuran’s sworn statement were the only initial pieces of evidence presented. Their doubts were finally erased when the long-awaited DNA test results confirmed a 100% match between the semen found on the victim and the self-confessed killer. On August 17, 2023, Violeta finally signed the complaint-affidavit against Jeniel Kakayuran, accepting the conclusive findings of the investigation.

However, the legal battle took another turn during the arraignment hearing when Kakayuran entered a plea of “not guilty.” This plea may be a legal strategy by his counsel to challenge the admissibility of his confession, to seek a lighter sentence, or to fight the evidence.

Nevertheless, the authorities remain confident, believing they have gathered sufficient evidence to secure a conviction and sentence him to life imprisonment, ensuring he can never harm anyone again. The case of Eden Joy Villafuerte, a life full of promise extinguished by a momentary, desperate act of violence, stands as a painful scar on the community, but also as a testament to the fact that even in the absence of CCTVs, justice, fueled by conscience and irrefutable science, can ultimately prevail.