Defendant in Indramayu family murder case sentenced to life imprisonment

The Indramayu District Court has sentenced Priyo Bagus Setiawan to life imprisonment after he was found guilty of the premeditated murder of five members of a family in Indramayu Regency. Presiding Judge Wimmy D. Simarmata stated during the verdict hearing on Friday that Priyo was legally and convincingly proven to have committed premeditated murder and violence against children resulting in death. “Therefore, we sentence the defendant to life imprisonment,” said Wimmy. The panel of judges declared the defendant guilty of violating Article 459 of Law Number 1 of 2023 concerning the Criminal Code in conjunction with Article 20 letter c of the Criminal Code, as well as Article 80 paragraph (3) of Law Number 35 of 2014 concerning Child Protection in conjunction with Law Number 1 of 2026 concerning Criminal Adjustments. The judges noted that the five-day period before the crime was used by the defendant to modify a hammer, devise a method to approach the victims, determine the time of the attack, and prepare the sequence of the crime. The panel also assessed that there was close cooperation between Priyo and Ririn from the planning stage, the execution of the murders, the seizure of the victims’ assets, the burial of the bodies in a single grave, to the efforts to dispose of evidence. “The defendant’s contribution was decisive in the realisation of the entire incident,” Wimmy stated. The panel considered that the defendant’s actions caused a psychological impact on the community, left deep sorrow for the victims’ families, and wounded human values by taking the lives of an entire family, including children. “The defendant’s actions fall into the category of extraordinary crime, the most serious crime, and are highly reprehensible in the context of premeditated murder,” he said. The public prosecutor from the Indramayu District Attorney’s Office had previously sought a 20-year prison sentence for Priyo Bagus Setiawan. However, the panel of judges opted to impose a life sentence. Meanwhile, the verdict hearing for co-defendant Ririn Rifanto was adjourned until Wednesday, 8 July, as the panel of judges is still finalising deliberations before delivering a decision. The case occurred in late August 2025 in Paoman Village, Indramayu Regency. The five victims who died were Sahroni, Budi Awaludin, Euis Dwitasari, a 7-year-old child with the initials RK, and an eight-month-old baby.