AJUY, Iloilo--A 62-year-old Australian was brutally murdered inside his residence in barangay Pili, Ajuy in the province of Iloilo.

Werner Holz was found dead inside the master's bedroom early Tuesday morning.

Authorities said Werner sustained multiple stab wounds in different parts of his body.
 
The victim's wife Vivian witnessed the brutal killing of her husband.

She said three unidentified armed men forcibly entered their room, grabbed her husband and ordered him to open the vault, which contained a large amount of money and jewelries.

However, the victim, who was a retired Australian policeman, resisted, prompting two of the suspects to stab him to death.
 
The three suspects immediately fled and carted away P200,000, US$5,000, plus around P800,000 worth of assorted jewelries.
 
The Philippine National Police (PNP) has ordered a thorough investigation of the killing and the arrest of the suspects.

The Scene of the Crime Operatives or SOCO has conducted its investigation and is examining all the evidence to help solve the crime.
 
Ajuy Mayor Juancho Alvarez has expressed concern on the possible impact of the bloody killing on the image of his town.

Werner was into trading and lending for almost 12 years in the town of Ajuy. -- ABS-CBN News Iloilo