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)