BACOLOD CITY – The facial sketches of three more suspects in the murder of Kabankalan City Regional Trial Court Judge Henry Arles have been released by the Task Group Arles of the Negros Occidental Police Provincial Office (NOPPO).

The three males are the latest addition to the list of persons believed to be involved in the Arles killing. Police investigators had earlier shown the facial sketches of two persons, including a woman, who allegedly acted as "look-outs."

One of the three, who was wearing a helmet and has a bandage on his left eye, is suspected to be the driver of the tricycle boarded by the gunman while another is possibly the one who fired at Arles.

"The public might have an idea who are these people and they can give us information for the resolution of the case," Chief Insp. Rico Santotome, NOPPO spokesman, said in a television interview.

Arles, 62, was shot three times while driving home in his car along the highway in Ilog, Negros Occidental on April 24.

During a case conference Wednesday, Senior Supt. Allan Guisihan, provincial police director, said several witnesses are now assisting them after they released the facial sketches of the three other suspects.

The National Bureau of Investigation had earlier revealed that an influential family in southern Negros could be the mastermind and that they hired local hitmen to carry out the job.

Meanwhile, Guisihan said police investigators are looking into the motive of the murder and seeking to identify the suspects who can lead them to the mastermind.

Lawyer Maria Estelita Arles, daughter of the slain judge, disclosed that their family received a letter from the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People's Army-National Democratic Front, expressing sympathies to them and joining their call for justice.

The Arles family had earlier offered to give a P1-million cash reward to anyone who can provide key information on the judge's murder.*