The eight-month-old murder mystery of local screen icon Nida Blanca took a turn yesterday as government investigators charged her American husband Ronald Strunk and seven others with the killing.

The Philippines Department of Justice (DoJ) has ordered 62-year-old Strunk, a jobless former Hollywood actor, to submit an affidavit, explaining his position in the complaint filed against him by the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) yesterday, for the murder of the 66-year-old veteran actress.

Jovencito Zuno, the Chief Government Prosecutor, said, "If he cannot submit his affidavit, he would be considered as having waived that right (to submit an affidavit) and we will be compelled to continue with the preliminary investigations without his explanation."

Strunk has been in the U.S. since January when he left the Philippines to attend to his ailing mother who has died. The actor promised to return to Manila, but the NBI said he remains in his residence at Tracy, California.

Strunk had been charged with uxoricide for his direct participation and ordering the death of his wife last November 7.

Another suspect, Philip Medel, 53, was charged with murder along with two still unidentified people, one male and one female, who were with Blanca on the morning she was murdered.

"We have no firm idea of the identities of the unnamed suspects, but we have acquired their descriptions from witnesses," Wycoco said.

Three others identified as Ricky Alvarez, Roberto Canete and Lito Molines were charged with obstruction of justice for misleading investigators with their statements. The three were private security guards of the building where Blanca's body was found. Among the eight suspects, only Medel is in the custody of the NBI. He was arrested last Tuesday in Cebu City to face a separate charge of libel.

Blanca, Dorothy Jones in real life, was among the Philippines' most popular actresses with a career spanning five decades. She was known for her clean, wholesome roles on screen, and her death last year proved to be more earthshaking than any of the story lines in her more than 200-odd films and television appearances.

Reynaldo Wycoco, the NBI director, told reporters at a briefing announcing the filing of charges against the suspects yesterday: "Based on the findings of our investigating team, conflict over property seems to be the most feasible motive."

Strunk, who was married for 22 years to Blanca, was reportedly angered by the actress' move to strip him of her possible inheritance amounting to P65 million ($1.3 million), which included properties in posh residential areas in Manila and a house in the U.S.

Blanca, according to one report citing statements from her only daughter from her first marriage, Kaye Torres, had contemplated divorcing Strunk months before she was murdered. Medel and Strunk initially figured in an initial breakthrough by the police's Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG).

Medel, who claimed to be a mercenary, told the police that Strunk hired him to kill Blanca, but the former actor denied knowing the suspect. Medel said he wanted to be included in the government's Witness Protection Programme for his testimony. Later, he recanted his statement after learning that one of the suspects that could link him with Strunk was reported to have been abducted.

He also claimed that he was tortured by the CIDG men into confessing to the crime. Medel's turn-around had embarrassed the nati-onal police and forced President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo to transfer the case to the NBI.

It was during the NBI investigations that Strunk fled the country for the U.S. Wycoco said they believe they now posses strong evidence to pin down Strunk. He said they have in their possession one of the triplicates of a receipt issued for the purchase of a Swiss utility knife by Strunk, which was used as a murder weapon by Medel, the umbrella which was also used to bludgeon Blanca and numerous statements of the witnesses.

The presidential palace expressed confidence that the NBI would finally put to rest the eight-month-old case. At a press briefing, Ignacio Bunye, the newly designated Press Secretary and acting presidential spokes-man, said the NBI "is moving in the right direction" in so far as the murder case was concerned.

"I think everybody will be happy that this eight-month-old case will finally be put to rest. Of course, assuming that the National Bureau of Investigation has foolproof evidence to nail the persons who are really responsible," Bunye said.

Blanca, who worked for the state film's censor board and was active in the movies till the time of her death, was found dead inside the back of her sedan. She had received several shallow stab wounds and was badly battered on the morning of November 7, 2001.