By Henni Espinosa, ABS-CBN North America Bureau
Feb. 20, 2012
HAYWARD, Calif. – 39-year old Ezra Dave Maling was a music director for the Bay International Church in Hayward, California. Church members called him a musical genius and an inspiration.
Church members said Ezra would talk about his days as a composer in the Philippines, which prompted one member to do an online search. To that member’s shock, a newspaper article came up that forever changed their perception of Ezra.
It turned out that their brother-in-Christ was wanted for murder in the Philippines, the lone suspect in the killing of his live-in partner, then 24-year old Rebeny Graceda-Vergara almost 9 years ago in Rizal, Philippines.
Court documents provided to Balitang America show that the night before she died, Ezra was with Rebeny. Early morning of March 17, 2003, Rebeny was found dead, with a belt looped around her neck. And Ezra was nowhere to be found.
Philippine authorities said Ezra’s possible motive may have been jealousy over Rebeny’s relationship with her ex-husband, Ganthel Vergara, who now lives in the U.S.
Ganthel denied that they were going to reconcile. He said, “I don’t know if he was jealous. But that’s not my problem anymore.”
Vergara claimed that Ezra provided a smoking gun, a virtual confession to the crime. He said, “He emailed my ex-wife’s twin and said, ‘Forgive me for doing it.’ It’s clear that he committed the crime.”
Ganthel recently met with members of the Bay International Church, which sponsored Ezra for his religious visa.
Ganthel confirmed to church members that Ezra has a standing warrant of arrest in the Philippines and is a fugitive. The church members said it is their moral and legal obligation to speak up and expose Ezra, even if he was once one of them.
May Diamante, a concerned church member said, “You consider them as family but not to the extent of tolerating the crime. A life was lost.”
Pastor Valentino Reyes said, “We need to have justice. What about the parents who lost a child, the husband who lost a wife, the child who lost a mother? A crime is a crime, whether we like it or not.”
Ezra and his family have stopped going to Bay International Church. They’re not sure where he is now.
Balitang America went to Ezra’s Fremont, California home. Ezra’s wife, Glenda, refused to talk on camera. She said she and Ezra are separated and that he no longer lives there. She claims she has also no idea where he is. Glenda said she stands by her husband. She said he could not be the person who committed this brutal murder almost 9 years ago.
Member of the Bay International Church have asked Homeland Security to revoke the immigrant visa of Ezra Dave Maling and to have him extradited to the Philippines to face the murder charge against him. They also want his coddlers to be held accountable, if they are found guilty of protecting him.
You may contact Henni Espinosa at henni_espinosa@abs-cbn.com for more information.
