N. Jakarta brothers punished for murder

JAKARTA (JP): North Jakarta District Court yesterday sentenced two brothers to nine and 10 years imprisonment respectively for killing a man.

Judge Soaloon Siregar said in his verdict that Erwansyah, alias Iwan bin Acip, 23, was found guilty of gashing Irwansyah's head with a machete, while his brother, Hermansyah, alias Ateng bin Acip, 24, was found guilty of stabbing the victim in the chest with a knife.

"The two suspects have violated Article 170 of the Criminal Code," Siregar said. "For that reason the court decided to sentence Erwansyah to nine years in jail and Hermansyah to 10 years in prison."

The judge disclosed that Hermansyah received harsher punishment than his brother because the post mortem reports said the stab wound to the heart caused the victim's death.

Responding to the court ruling, the two defendants and the prosecutor said that they accepted the verdict.

Prosecutor Chandra Chazzan demanded last month that the judge sentence the two defendants to 12 years imprisonment each.

Chandra explained that on Aug. 2, last year, the defendants did violence to Irwansyah at Muara Karang, North Jakarta.

The incident started when Erwansyah was quarreling with Irwansyah at a food stall at one half hour after midnight. Erwansyah gashed the victim's head with a machete.

Then Hermansyah came to help his brother and stabbed the victim to death. Another suspect named Edi Gembel, who hit the victim, is still at large.

In a related development, three witnesses testified yesterday at the North Jakarta District Court over the murder of Nyo Beng Seng, who was killed at his house on April, last year.

Herlambang Sabri, one of the witnesses, said that he saw a man of the Chinese origin gave a pack of money to the defendant, Agiono. But he did not know about its amount.

Prosecutor James Pardede accused Agiono of accepting money worth Rp 750,000 ($300) to kill Nyo Beng Seng, owner of PT Irama Tara recording company.

The two other witnesses said that they bought a blue Toyota Charmant believed to have been used by the defendant to go to the victim's house at Pluit Kencana, North Jakarta. (29)