Death sentence sought for Oki for triple murder

Death sentence sought for Oki for triple murder

JAKARTA (JP): State prosecutors asked the Central Jakarta
District Court yesterday to sentence Harnoko Dewantono, alias
Oki, to death for the premeditated murder of three people in Los
Angeles in 1991 and 1992.

The prosecutors said they had proven Oki, 32, guilty of the
murder of Suresh Mirchandani, Oki's Indian business partner;
another business partner Gina Sutan Aswar; and his younger
brother Tri Harto Darmawan, alias Eri.

Prosecutor J. Kamaru, who wept as he read his part of the
sentence request, said the murder was a cruel and sadistic act
because one of the victims was his own brother, and another, a
woman, was his old school friend. Both went to the U.S. at Oki's
invitation.

"He was so cruel he cut out Suresh's heart, lungs, and slit
his throat while he was still alive or at least the organs were
still functioning. He later cut off the Suresh's hands."

The statement said; "Oki also cut off Gina's right ear."

Although Oki looked polite and well mannered, he was dangerous
to people who did not agree with him, it added.

Oki's statements before the court were confusing and
inconsistent in a deliberate attempt to hide his role in the
murder. This had worsened his position, the prosecutors said.

The prosecutors told the court that Oki shot Suresh on Aug. 19
1991, because he had not paid him US$80,000, the balance of the
cash he was owed for a laundry business he sold to Suresh.

"Oki shot Suresh in the chest, in his car, after picking him
up at the laundry. He took the body home, cut out his organs, cut
off the hands, and wrapped them in plastic", the prosecutors
said.

Later, Oki put the body and the organs in a box he had earlier
ordered through another person, and stored them in a locker.

Gina was killed on Nov. 3, 1992 in Oki's garage with a monkey
wrench which he had ready. Gina wanted to withdraw from their
real estate business partnership, the prosecutors added.

The prosecutors said Oki killed Eri, to keep the murders
secret, with a tool for cracking wood, in Oki's apartment between
the end of November and the beginning of December, 1992.

The bodies were found in August 1994, in a warehouse locker at
a storage facility in Los Angeles.

Oki sat calmly as the prosecutors read their statement. He
started to cry as he was escorted to a detention room in the
courthouse after the session.

According to lawyer Nurhasyim Ilyas, Oki had suffered a mental
breakdown.

Prosecutor Kamaru told reporters after the trial, "He deserves
the death penalty. As a human being I was touched when I read the
sentence demand. I can understand his feelings. He is the oldest
son in the family." (13)

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