New evidence in Oki's case
New evidence in Oki's case
JAKARTA (JP): American police have found a car related to last year's triple murder in Los Angeles allegedly committed by Hernoko Dewantono, alias Oki, an Indonesian police officer said yesterday.
Deputy Chief of National Police for Operational Affairs Maj. Gen. Koesparmono Irsan said it isn't yet clear whether the car was used by Oki or one of the three murder victims -- Oki's female friend Gina Sutan Aswar, his younger brother Tri (Eri) Harto Darmawan and his Indian business partner Suresh Mirchandani.
"But the car constitutes new evidence in the murder case," Koesparmono was quoted by Antara as saying at a ceremony of the installation of Maj. Gen. Momo Kelana as the new governor of the Jakarta-based Police Science Institute, replacing Maj. Gen. MB Hutagalung.
Koesparmono said that two police officers have left for Los Angeles to further investigate the case after receiving reports from Los Angeles detective Ted Ball about the discovery of the car.
The two officers flying to Los Angeles are Maj. Anhar, head of the city police's unit of property crime, and Capt. Wahyu, head of the city police's homicide and kidnapping unit, he said, without mentioning their departure date.
Koesparmono said that the red car will become evidence in the case along with a number of other items, including a revolver, hammer and monkey wrench believed to have been used to kill the victims.
The Los Angeles Police Department, he said, have been very helpful to the Indonesian police in its effort to handle the murder case.
A reliable source said recently that Suresh was tortured and shot to death in August 1991, with Gina being battered to death on Nov. 2, 1992 in Kentfield Brentwood in Los Angeles. Eri was beaten to death at an apartment on Palm Boulevard also in Los Angeles several days after Gina's death.
The bodies of the three victims had been kept in a storage locker since May 1993 before being found by the Los Angeles police in August last year.
Oki was apprehended here early this year for alleged passport forgery and was later questioned about the murders.
The police have handed the dossiers on Oki's alleged role in falsifying passports to the prosecutor's office.
"The completion of the murder dossiers, however, is still waiting for the additional information from the new evidence," Koesparmono said.
Oki's trial for forgery is scheduled to be held next Wednesday at the South Jakarta District Court. (hhr)