Canadian expat stabbed to death in South Jakarta

JAKARTA (JP): A Canadian expatriate was killed Friday in his South Jakarta house in Cilandak district allegedly by his brother-in-law, police said yesterday.

Chief of the Cilandak police subprecinct, Capt. Nurhayati, said the victim, identified as Jon Joseph Mitchon, 38, died from a stab wound to his heart Friday night.

A quarrel between the victim and his wife may have preceded the incident.

"The victim was found dying in the living room by his wife, Ovelia Irawan, and was already dead when we arrived at the crime scene," she said.

The South African-born Mitchon lived in a rented house on Jl. Bahari Raya with his wife and two children.

Nurhayati said her office would contact the Canadian Embassy to inform officials there of the expatriate's death. Mitchon worked here as an expert at the South Jakarta construction company PT Tri Patra on Jl. TB Simatupang.

A police source said Mitchon was allegedly stabbed by his own brother-in-law, identified as Iw, reportedly after a quarrel between Mitchon and his wife.

The officer, who asked for anonymity, said a preliminary investigation found that Iw and Ovelia were at the house when the incident took place.

"Ovelia told us during questioning that she had asked her brother Iw to accompany her to a friend's house after the quarrel, but he was verbally lambasted by her husband as they were leaving the house," the officer said.

Upon hearing Mitchon's harsh words, Iw went back into the house for a while, but came out in a hurry, saying he wanted to find a taxi, the officer quoted Ovelia as saying.

The source said that Ovelia then entered the house because she heard something falling inside.

"In the living room she found Mitchon bleeding and sitting near the couch with his hand on his chest. She later called the community leader and the police as well," he said.

Mitchon was already dead when police reached the scene at 11 p.m., the officer said.

The police said the victim and his wife reportedly had been involved in disputes over the last three months.

"Ovelia said that her husband was neglecting his duties as a father. So she said she was 'taking revenge' by refusing to have sex with her husband," he said.

"However, the investigation is not yet finished. We'll gather more information to clarify the case," he said.

Neighbors at the crime scene said that the couple moved into the house about five months ago. Mitchon was rarely seen and not really close to the neighbors while Ovelia was said to be friendly but only socialized when her husband was not around.

The officer said detectives were hunting down Ovelia's brother, who was believed to be hiding in a friend's house in Central Jakarta.

"Our informers near the suspect's hideout say that the suspect has never come out of the house since he arrived there Friday night," the officer said.

He said his office was still not certain about the weapon allegedly used by Iw to stab Mitchon. "It has not been found," he said.

According to Nurhayati, whoever killed Mitchon would be charged under Article 351 of the Criminal Code relating to deadly assault. The article carries a maximum penalty of seven years imprisonment. (cst)