Lifer found dead in his cell

JAKARTA: A man convicted for the premeditated murder of four members of a family of five in 1995 died on Monday evening at Cipinang Penitentiary, East Jakarta.

An employee of Cipinang Penitentiary confirmed on Tuesday that the body of prisoner Philipus Kia Leidjab, 53, was found by a guard when delivering his dinner. His body has been sent to Cipto Mangunkusumo Hospital morgue in Central Jakarta.

There is no explanation about the cause of his death as his family have forbidden the hospital to conduct an autopsy. It is suspected that Philipus died of a heart attack.

East Jakarta District Court declared Philipus, his wife, his son and his nephew guilty of murdering Rohadi's wife, Elly Kusneli, his sons Gilang M. fauzi and Rizky Wahyu Ramadhan, and his daughter Citra Utami in October 1995, who all lived next door to Philipus' family.

Rohadi, an elementary school teacher, escaped the carnage as he was working at the time.

Philipus was sentenced to life imprisonment. His nephew, Lambertus Lele, died a few years ago in prison from lung disease, according to an autopsy report. -- JP