Oki case: U.S. witnesses testify<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): The trial of Harnoko Dewantono, alias Oki, an
\nIndonesian charged over a Los Angeles triple murder, resumed
\nyesterday with three special witnesses from the United States
\ntestifying.<\/p>\n
Witness Errol Valladares, 29, an American businessman, told
\nthe court he had seen Suresh Mirchandani, who was later killed,
\ninvolved in a heated argument with a telephone caller.<\/p>\n
The witness said Mirchandani, his business partner, told him
\nafter the phone conversation that the caller was Oki.<\/p>\n
The witness testified through an interpreter employed by the
\nprosecution's office.<\/p>\n
The prosecution alleges Oki, 31, murdered his two friends, an
\nIndonesian woman and an Indian businessman, and his own younger
\nbrother in Los Angeles between August 1991 and November 1992.<\/p>\n
The Indian businessman, Suresh Mirchandani and the Indonesian
\nwoman, Gina Sutan Aswar were Oki's business partners.<\/p>\n
Valladares said he overheard Mirchandani refusing the caller's
\nrequest to meet him immediately.<\/p>\n
\"I heard Mirchandani saying he only wanted to see the caller
\non the following day,\" Valladares said.<\/p>\n
He said he had the impression the two were talking about a
\ndry-cleaning business Mirchandani wanted to sell.<\/p>\n
Valadares said he did not know Oki and only heard Mirchandani
\nrepeatedly mention his name in the phone conversation.<\/p>\n
Oki's lawyer Henry Yosodiningrat said just because the Indian
\nbusinessman mentioned Oki's name it did not mean Oki killed
\nMirchandani.<\/p>\n
\"He could have been mentioned as a third person,\" the lawyer
\nsaid. But the witness said Mirchandani confirmed the caller was
\nOki.<\/p>\n
When presiding Judge I.G.K. Sukarata asked Oki his reaction,
\nhe said he did not understand what had been said.<\/p>\n
The two other witnesses were American forensic experts who
\nconfirmed the material evidence the Los Angeles Police Department
\n(LAPD) collected belonged to Oki.<\/p>\n
Karen Chiarodit, an LAPD forensic print specialist, told the
\ncourt she had examined handwriting found on a receipt from hiring
\nstorage space in Los Angeles.<\/p>\n
It was written by a man called Samar Tawakal, an Indonesian
\ncitizen, whose hand writing was identical to a sample of Oki's
\nwriting sent by the Jakarta Police Detective Department, she
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
She said she examined another receipt from a hand gun purchase
\nfrom a man named Taurus, 38, which was signed by Tri Harto
\nDarmawan, alias Eri, who was Oki's younger brother.<\/p>\n
Eri was allegedly killed by Oki.<\/p>\n
The print specialist said the handwriting characteristics on
\nboth documents were identical to Oki's.<\/p>\n
The third witness was LAPD finger print specialist Daniel Woo,
\nwho examined finger prints found on the plastic used to wrap the
\nvictims' bodies, and on the hand gun Oki allegedly used.<\/p>\n
Woo said the finger prints found on the plastic and the gun
\nhad the same characteristics as Oki's.<\/p>\n
The hearing had been adjourned for three weeks because the
\ncourt gave priority to case from the July 27 riot involving
\nIndonesian Democratic Party activists.<\/p>\n
Presiding Judge I.G.K. Sukarata adjourned the hearing until
\nnext Tuesday to hear testimony from senior LAPD officers Ball and
\nRamirez. (05\/07)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/oki-case-us-witnesses-testify-1447893297",
"image": ""
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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