Four defendants admit to killing Brig. Gen. Tampubolon
JAKARTA (JP): Four defendants in the murder trial of Brig. Gen. T.M.F. Tampubolon confessed yesterday at the East Jakarta District Court that they had killed the general.
The four defendants are being tried for killing Tampubolon following an altercation in Cipinang, East Jakarta, on April 4.
In the three separated court sessions, Presiding Judge Soeroto allowed Hendrik Setyawan, 25, and Rusdi Abdul Rahman, 24, to be examined first.
Rusdi admitted that after stabbing the victim, he and Hendrik ran to a hideout in the Pondok Bambu area, a district adjacent to the crime scene, where they hung out until dawn before returning home.
"We did not realize that the person who we had confronted that night was dead until Hendrik's father informed us that a general had been killed the previous night in Cipinang," Rusdi said.
Rusdi, a security guard whose bayonet killed Tampubolon, said that he became terrified upon hearing the news.
"We voluntarily turned ourselves in at the Jl. Kebon Nanas police precinct," Rusdi said.
Heated argument
The killing occurred after a car driven by Tampubolon nearly brushed the two defendants who were heading home from a billiards center. They shouted at Tampubolon, who turned his car back to confront them. This escalated into a heated argument and finally the killing.
Despite receiving 11 stab wounds, Tampubolon, the father of five, still managed to drive his car to the Jl. Kebon Nanas police precinct. He died half an hour later at Indonesian Christian University hospital in East Jakarta.
Rusdi and Hendrik did not deny the contents of the dossiers reread by prosecutor Muslim Sajidah.
In the second session, defendant Risdiyanto, 25, a cleaning service attendant of a private company, admitted that he went straight home after the killing. In the morning he went to his work place where the police apprehended him at 9 a.m.
He also approved of the police dossiers read by the prosecutor.
"I am sorry for what I have done," he said.
During the third session, Lukman Achmad, 30, an ojek (motorcycle taxi) driver, told prosecutor Sutomo that he pushed Tampubolon away when he saw Tampubolon grab Hendrik by the collar.
"I pushed the victim because I wanted to prevent them from fighting," Lukman said. He added that the general almost fell to the ground, while his friends (the other three defendants) used that opportunity to attack Tampubolon with their knives.
The autopsy signed by Dr. Yuli Budiningsih revealed that Tampubolon's death was caused by severe stabbing that slashed his liver and lung.
The trial was adjourned until July 21 when the prosecutors are scheduled to read the proposed sentences. (03)