Lawyers plead for set prison sentence for Oki<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Defense lawyers of Harnoko Dewantono, alias Oki,
\nyesterday demanded that the court sentence their client for a
\ncertain period, rather than issue the death penalty, for the
\nmurder of two people in Los Angeles in 1991 and 1992.<\/p>\n
The lawyers told the Central Jakarta District Court that Oki
\nkilled his business partner Gina Sutan Aswar and his younger
\nbrother Tri Harto Darmawan alias Eri, but did not kill his Indian
\nbusiness partner, Suresh Mirchandani.<\/p>\n
Los Angeles police found bodies in a local warehouse in August
\n1994. Oki also presented his own defense at the hearing
\nyesterday. Prosecutor J. Kamaru had earlier demanded that the
\ncourt hand down the death penalty to Oki, 32, for the alleged
\nmurder of Gina, Eri and Suresh.<\/p>\n
The lawyers said yesterday that Oki had not killed Suresh.<\/p>\n
Lawyer Henry Yosodiningrat also stated that the murders were
\nnot premeditated, because Oki was drunk.<\/p>\n
He killed Gina because she had wanted to resign from their
\nbusiness. Oki became angry, and after they had drunk Chivas
\nRegal, he could not control himself, the lawyer said.<\/p>\n
The monkey wrench used to smash Gina had always been kept in
\nthe garage, he said. \"It was not prepared beforehand.\"<\/p>\n
According to them, the plastic bag and box which were used to
\npackage Gina's body had not prepared either, he said.<\/p>\n
\"They had not been bought earlier, but on the following day,\"
\nsaid Henry, reading the 60-page defense statements.<\/p>\n
Henry added that Oki killed his brother Eri after they fought.
\nOki then killed Eri when he was out of control, and under the
\ninfluence of cocaine.<\/p>\n
\"There is no testimony that Oki had killed Suresh,\" lawyer
\nHenry said. Oki was accused of shooting Suresh in his car.<\/p>\n
Henry cited the findings of Los Angeles detectives about
\nSuresh's death. He said that Suresh must have been shot from the
\nfront by someone other than Oki.<\/p>\n
This was because Oki was driving on the left, while dry blood
\non the upholstery of the back seat showed Suresh had sat in the
\nback seat.<\/p>\n
Henry said that Oki's claim that it was Eri who shot the
\nIndian businessman made sense.<\/p>\n
Henry was accompanied by three other lawyers, Nurhasyim Ilyas,
\nTommy Sihotang, and Subiakto Saruddin.<\/p>\n
Oki, reading his own five-page rebuttal, denied the
\naccusations based on findings of Suresh's remains. He denied both
\ncutting out Suresh's heart and lung, and slicing his throat. He
\nalso denied cutting off Gina's right ear.<\/p>\n
\"I don't know anything about the damage of Suresh's chest and
\nGina's ear. All I know that Eri had buried the body,\" he said
\nwithout specifying whether or not it was Suresh's or Gina's body.<\/p>\n
The lawyers supported Oki's statement that there was no
\nevidence that he carried out the alleged acts. The lawyers also
\nsaid that the prosecutor had never explained just how the acts
\nwere carried out, and what tools were used.<\/p>\n
\"An expert witness, Abdul Mun'im, has said that the absence of
\nthe lung and heart from a corpse more than two years old, is not
\nalways caused by cutting out,\" Henry said. Mun'im, a forensic
\nscientist, has said the organs might have melted.<\/p>\n
The lawyer also told the court that their client suffered from
\na mental disorder.<\/p>\n
\"According to a witness, Oki has suffered from mental
\ndisorders from the time that he was a small child, and that he
\nhas been treated by a psychiatrist,\" he said.<\/p>\n
The trial was adjourned until Thursday. (13)<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/lawyers-plead-for-set-prison-sentence-for-oki-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }