What drove Pinoy to shoot Las Vegas doctor?

CHICAGO, Illinois – When Dr. Edna Almaden Makabenta, 49, dreamed of taking an early retirement, the 49-year-old native of Palo, Leyte in the Philippines wanted to take things slow and spend a more enjoyable time with her family.

But her 80-year-old male patient snuffed out her plans by shooting her pointblank twice in the face last January 12 before turning his .45 pistol to his mouth and killing himself.

Nearly a week after the cold-blooded killing of the popular and caring Filipino doctor inside her clinic in Las Vegas, police still could not come up with a possible motive that drove her elderly patient, a fellow Filipino, to kill her before committing suicide.

Las Vegas police turned to a copy of a January 2 complaint the suspect, Eliseo Santos, filed against the victim before the Nevada Board of Medical Examiners for clues. But the Board’s executive director, said "the complaint did not indicate Santos was a threat."

Louis Ling, executive director of the Medical Examiners board, was quoted by the Las Vegas Review-Journal daily newspaper as saying that Santos’ complaint was against Makabenta and eight other doctors.

Homicide Lieutenant Lew Roberts said the "complaint can’t be definitely connected to a motive for the shooting but it is a factor police are exploring."

Makabenta sustained a gunshot wound in the head as she entered the examination room at her office at 2511 W. Charleston Blvd., near Rancho Drive. She died on the scene.

Santos was found alive shortly after the 9:20 a.m. shooting and was taken to University Medical Center, where he later died of self-inflicted gunshot wound, said Lt. Roberts.

Police are still tracing the source of the .45 pistol allegedly used by Santos.

A friend of the Makabentas said Santos was in pain from prostate cancer. The friend said that Santos, who Makabenta saw for eight years, apparently had used the Filipino doctor as a scapegoat for his health ailments.

Las Vegas-based Asian American Times publisher Toni Sison, who attended Makabenta's wake at the Palm Mortuary last Friday, said nobody knows the reason for the senseless killing.

"I heard the suspect shot Dr. Makabenta while his complaint was being heard by the Nevada Board of Medical Examiners. The killing was just a great waste of human life and big shame to the Filipino community," Sison said.

Makabenta's remains would be flown to the Philippines in a few days, according to her San Francisco-based relative, Greg Makabenta, uncle of her husband, Paul.

Greg, national chairman of the National Federation of Filipino American Associations, said he is in Las Vegas "helping facilitate the transport of her remains to the Philippines, which will be her final resting place."

Friends, patients and colleagues said Makabenta was a kind woman devoted to her practice who harbored no enemies.

Several patients learned of her death when they arrived for their appointments. Many wept as they shared memories of the doctor.

Makabenta attended Doctors College of Medicine in the Philippines and completed her residency at University Medical Center and opened her medical practice in 1997.

Makabenta’s husband, Paul, was in the Philippines during the shooting and had to hurry back to Las Vegas.

Makabenta left her children, Paul Michael, 23, who served in the US Air Force; Frances Mae, 21 who will graduate from the University of California-Berkeley in May; and Gil Joshua, who is currently serving in the US Navy. - GMANews.TV

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