Baker Accused of Killing 7 Colleagues in Their Sleep After His Own Birthday Party in 'Gruesome Multiple Murder': Reports

• A suspect has been arrested in the Philippines after allegedly stabbing seven of his colleagues to death, according to reports
• The victims were found inside a bakery located in Antipolo City on Tuesday, April 22, local police said in a Facebook post
• The suspect said he had heard the men planning to smother him in his sleep, the Associated Press reported

A bakery owner has been arrested in the Philippines after allegedly stabbing seven of his colleagues to death after his birthday party, according to reports.

On Tuesday, April 22, at approximately 7:40 a.m. local time, authorities responded to reports of a “gruesome multiple murder incident” at a bakery located in Barangay Cupang, Antipolo City, Rizal Police Provincial Office said in a news release shared on Facebook.

“Upon arrival, seven lifeless male individuals were found inside the bakery. Initial findings indicate that all victims were employees of J&B Malunggay Bakery and were residing in the premises. The victims appear to have been attacked while asleep,” police said in the post.

The suspect has since been identified as Bogart Ramirez, 32, who is accused of killing the victims after allegedly overhearing them plotting to smother him in his sleep, the Associated Press reported.

Ramirez allegedly gave the men alcohol to drink at his birthday party, “before killing [them] one by one with a knife while they were impaired,” the outlet stated. 

Police were called by a neighbor after they heard one of the men crying out for help, the news agency reported.

Without naming the suspect in the April 22 Facebook post, the Rizal Police Provincial Office said, “At around 9:00 a.m. on the same day, the suspect was apprehended at the Base Police, Headquarters Support Service of the Philippine National Police (PNP).” 

“He was subjected to standard physical and medical examinations and is currently under police custody,” Tuesday’s post added.

“The motive behind this heinous crime remains under investigation. Authorities are exploring all possible angles, including the potential involvement of additional suspects,” police added.

According to the AP, the suspect said from custody, “I surrendered because I have nowhere to go anyway. If I leave town, they will still catch me. After leaving the bakery, I headed to the Philippine National Police headquarters Crame.”

“I overheard them planning to smother me to death with a pillow while sleeping, so that when my wife arrives the next day, it would look like I had died from a nightmare,” the suspect added, according to the news agency. 

“There are two of us who are partners at the bakery, and all of the other workers are his relatives. They were trying to gang up on me. If I die, the entire business will be his, so I decided to act first,” the suspect continued, as noted by the outlet.

According to local outlet The Philippine Star, “two of the victims were minors while the rest were between 21 and 25 years old.”

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According to the AP, police are looking for other people who may have been involved in the crime.

Local Police Colonel Felipe Maraggun said, “We are not content that he is the sole suspect. It’s possible he has an accomplice, and we are looking at that angle. We are not satisfied with his version of events, but we will look at the evidence we gather,” the news agency reported.

Rizal police director Maraggun said the suspect, who celebrated his birthday the day before the stabbings, had reportedly been given a bottle of gin, which the victims had allegedly drunk the night before they died, per The Philippine Star.

“We subjected the liquor to laboratory testing to determine if it was laced with sedatives,” the officer said, according to the outlet.

The Philippine National Police and the Rizal Police Provincial Office didn’t immediately respond when contacted by PEOPLE for further information.