Four years following the disappearance of Ochob Jaycee Iyar Soto, her husband is being tried for her alleged murder.
Inis Remoket is charged with Murder in the Second Degree and Manslaughter, charges which together could carry a lifetime sentence in prison. The trial began yesterday morning, August 3, at the Palau Supreme Court, and is set to continue for four days, ending on Friday, August 7.
According to the prosecution, evidence suggests that Mr. Remoket tied his wife to a rebar on the ocean floor.
Ochob went missing in September 2016. Two years later, in September 2018, the remains of his wife were discovered by a fisherman off of the Japan-Palau Friendship Bridge. According to the testimonies of detectives working for the Criminal Investigation Division (CID), investigations recovered a human skull, teeth, and bones on the ocean floor, which were sent to the FBI Forensics Lab in Quantico, Virginia, USA, and positively identified as Ochob’s. These were discovered alongside clothing tied to a rebar and a Palauan necklace similar to the one Ochob wore.
According to the prosecution, during the time following his wife’s disappearance, Mr. Remoket remained “unconcerned by the death of his wife” and “walked free” for much of it. It was also stated that the defendant had lied about Ochob’s whereabouts following her disappearance, and that he had previously displayed violent behavior towards her.
Mr. Remoket was charged on suspicion of killing his wife in October 2016, but the case was dismissed without prejudice by the court in 2017, as the evidence against him was circumstantial and inconclusive. He was rearrested in September 2019, following the discovery of his wife’s remains, and has remained in jail due to his inability to post $5,000 bail.
Presiding over the trial is the Honorable Oldiais Ngiraikelau. Acting as Prosecuting Attorney is Rebecca Sullivan of the Attorney General’s Office. Defending the accused is Defendant Attorney Repeka Varasikete of the Office of the Public Defender.