Children testify in Rohadi family murder case
Children testify in Rohadi family murder case
JAKARTA (JP): A child witness told a district court here
yesterday that she crossed paths with the main suspect in the
Rohadi family murder case on her way home from school minutes
before she learned about the killings.
"I saw him carrying a klewang (a kind of sword) accompanied by
the two boys," Nurhayati said, indicating pictures of the main
suspect Philipus Kia Lejab, 47, a neighbor of Rohadi, and two
boys, when asked to identify the man.
The 11-year-old witness said she noticed the three people when
accompanying Rohadi's 10-year-old daughter Meike Puspitasari home
from school at 12.30 p.m.
Meike, who also appeared as a witness in the trial, said she
saw peanuts scattered in her front yard which she picked up and
ate with Nurhayati, oblivious of what she was about to encounter.
As she walked into her house she saw her mother and three
siblings lifeless on the floor, soaked in blood.
"Help!" she cried out running out of her house while managing
to snatch Erica Priscilla, her 1-year-old sister, whose neck was
strangled with a scarf.
Six other witnesses testified in the tightly guarded East
Jakarta district court in Pulo Mas. The murder of Rohadi's wife
and his three children is believed to have occurred around noon
on Oct. 2, 1995 in Rohadi's home in the eastern Jakarta district
of Bambu Apus.
The two court hearings yesterday were held to process
Philipus, his wife, Suparmi, and another closed-hearing to
process the under-age Albertus, Lambertus and Clemence.
None of the eight witnesses in yesterday's hearing, however,
actually saw the murder of the Rohadi family.
Witness Mrs. Iwan, 45, told the court that she was the first
adult to hear Meike's terrified scream but she dared not enter
Rohadi's house.
"Instead I ran back and screamed too," she said.
Witness Mrs. Anna, 37, told the court that she heard the
screaming frenzy and rushed toward Rohadi's house when she bumped
into Meike carrying her little sister.
She immediately asked for help from her husband, Rukmanda, who
loosened the scarf and saved the baby's life.
Two other witnesses, Namin and Rukmanda, told the court that
the police's tracking dogs headed in the direction of Philipus'
house during an inspection.
The two other witnesses were Namin, the neighborhood community
leader and Rukmanda.
Earlier, responding to an objection from Suparmi's defense
lawyers, the judge decided to continue the case. The defense
lawyers considered the prosecutor's indictment to be unclear and
incomplete.
The trials were adjourned until next Monday. (14)