The body of a 22-year-old Papua New Guinea stabbed to death in the Philippines has returned home. Johnny Leo was stabbed to death by a fellow Papua New Guinean at Adamson University.
An investigation into his death is currently underway with Kuri Rampi from Western Highlands, also a student in the Philippines, charged with his murder.
Yesterday at 5am the casket of late Johnny arrived in Port Moresby, costing K27,000 to repatriate his body. In the afternoon his body was transferred from the funeral home to his cousin’s house where relatives gathered to mourn.
Stanley Mark, the cousin of late Johnny Leo, today said Johnny was a leader in the family. He said his character of caring for everyone regardless of where they’re from helped when it came to financial struggles the family faced when it came to repatriating the body to PNG.
While family were able to come up with K10,000, students and friends contributed K17,000. The PNG Embassy in the Philippines was unable to help financially but Stanley Mark says the family is thankful for the embassy’s help in getting the paper work all cleared so the body could be brought back to PNG as soon as possible.
Johnny Leo was expected to finish his studies and return to PNG next April.
Mark said the manner of his death was shocking but at the moment the family wanted peace and to lay their son to rest.
Winston Mania, a friend of Johnny who accompanied the body to PNG, said that Johnny was leader amongst the students studying in Manila. He said his death was still a shock to many but he was a friend to many and the contribution that family and friends made in the Philippines was overwhelming.
The body of the late Johnny Leo will leave for Mt. Hagen tomorrow, and he will be laid to rest in the coming days.
