Customs man gets 16 years for wife killing

Customs man gets 16 years for wife killing

JAKARTA (JP): A high-ranking official of the Customs and
Excise Office was sentenced to 16 years in jail Monday for
masterminding the killing of his wife, Sri Sukarsih, on June 15
last year.

Presiding Judge Bernarto of South Jakarta District Court
announced Haryanto Darmo Sucipto, 53, was guilty of paying Rp
16.5 million (US$7,645) to the three other defendants; Supardi, a
police officer, Cecilia Suwati, Haryanto's lover, and Joko
Sudiatmoko, as a fee for murdering his wife. The fourth suspect
in the case, Jarot, remains at large.

The four defendants were tried separately, Supardi at the
martial court and the other three at South Jakarta District
Court.

According to Bernarto, the murder was planned in February 1993
in Surakarta, Central Java, a town where Cecilia worked as a
beautician at the "Maya" beauty parlor.

Cecilia and Haryanto often met at various hotels in Surakarta
and when their clandestine love affair blossomed into a more
serious relationship, they agreed to murder Sri Sukarsih to
enable them to marry, said the judge.

Cecilia then asked police officer Supardi to help with their
plan, Bernarto said.

Supardi sent two soothsayers to have Sri Sukarsih eliminated,
but the housewife turned out to be invulnerable to their lethal
black magic, said the judge.

After this failure, Cecilia instructed Supardi to get her some
hired assassins, and quick. Supardi agreed to the scheme when she
promised a contract of Rp 10 million ($4,633) for the hit, said
Bernarto.

Supardi next contacted Joko Sudiatmoko and Jarot to carry out
the murder, said the judge as quoted by the Antara news agency.

According to Antara, the two murderers visited Haryanto's
residence on Jl. Kalibata Utara IV, South Jakarta, on June 15,
posing as Haryanto's guests. They killed Sukarsih at 10:30 p.m.
that day by breaking her neck, and then placed her body in the
bathtub.

Joko was sentenced to 16 years in prison by the South Jakarta
District Court.

Earlier, prosecutor Tobina L. Siahaan demanded that Haryanto
be sentenced to 20 years. Cecilia is also facing 20 years for her
role in the killing. Her verdict is scheduled to be read
tomorrow.

Bernarto said a number of factors contributed to Haryanto's
harsh sentence. He cited, among other things, the fact that
Haryanto never admitted that his wrongdoings caused the death of
his wife, and that as an active civil servant, Haryanto failed to
set a good example for his subordinates by allowing his wife to
be murdered in cold blood in order to satisfy his lust.

Haryanto said he will appeal to the higher court. (03)