Lukman Murderer gets 17 years, lawyers appeal
JAKARTA (JP): A court here sentenced a man yesterday to 17 years in prison for murder.
The team of judges, led by Subardi, found Erfiandi Taufik, 29, guilty of murdering Lukman Lijas, 58, last year.
Victim Lukman, a business executive, was shot once in the head on Dec. 31, 1995 in his car on Jl. Letjen Suprapto in Central Jakarta at around 2 p.m.
The murder was triggered by a triangle love affair between suspect Erfiandi -- a company employee who lived in Padang, West Sumatra -- victim Lukman and witness Yunita Aristina, 25, a university student.
In previous court hearings, Erfiandi said that he was intimidated by Lukman due to his involvement with Yunita, who had a relationship with both men.
Prosecutor Suriansjah, who believes that Erfiandi deliberately planned the murder, had earlier demanded that the court sentence Erfiandi to a 20-year term.
Before the December murder, Suriansjah said that Erfiandi had originally planned to murder Lukman in August. Yunita somehow found out and persuaded Erfiandi to cancel his plan. Yunita then sent the firearm back to Padang through the mail in a package.
On Dec. 29, Erfiandi borrowed another gun and gave its owner Rp 350,000 (about US$ 150), telling him that the gun would be used for hunting. Erfiandi then headed for Jakarta for the second time.
The next day, Erfiandi headed to Yunita's house in Kelapa Gading, East Jakarta, where he met Lukman, who was also looking for Yunita. Erfiandi asked Lukman for a lift to a hotel where he was lodging. Lukman agreed.
The defendant's lawyers had also asked the court to release Erfiandi, claiming that the victim's death was accidental.
According to Paskalis, when the two arrived at Jl. Letjen Suprapto, Erfiandi asked Lukman to drive the car to Puncak, West Java, instead, so that the two of them could seek a solution to the three-sided love affair.
It was then that a panicked Erfiandi shot Lukman after Lukman had parked his car, deliberately blocking traffic.
The Central Jakarta District Court's ruling team of lawyers said they will appeal to the High Court.(yns/14)