Oki admits to killing his brother, woman friend

Oki admits to killing his brother, woman friend

JAKARTA (JP): The defendant in the Los Angeles triple murder
trial admitted here yesterday to killing his brother and one of
his business partners.

Harnoko Dewantono, better known as Oki, told the Central
Jakarta District Court he retracted a statement made in an
earlier session, and he did murder his brother and one of his
business partners.

According to the indictment, Oki murdered his Indian national
business partner Suresh G. Mirchandani on Aug. 19, 1991; his
female Indonesian business partner Gina Sutan Aswar on Nov. 2
1992 and his younger brother Ery Tri Harto Darmawan about two
weeks later.

All the murders were committed in Los Angeles. The bodies were
found in a Los Angeles warehouse locker in August 1994.

Oki told the court his brother Ery shot Suresh while they were
in a car because the Indian businessman had not paid a debt.

Oki said he killed Ery in a fight. He hit his brother with a
tool from near a fireplace, he said.

"We were both drunk, and I lost control of myself," the
defendant said.

"We were both cocaine users," Oki said, breaking into tears.

He said he killed Gina because she wanted to quit their joint
business. Oki said he was so infuriated he smashed her in the
face with a monkey wrench.

"She died after I hit her the third time," he said. According
to Oki he was drunk at the time.

Oki told the court he put the body in a box that he bought
after the murder.

Oki said he did not murder her for her money and the proof was
that it was still in her bank account.

He pleaded for a chance to change his life. "I was not a good
husband and I have hurt the feelings of my parents. I want to
have chance to be a better person," Oki said.

The panel of judges adjourned the trial for two weeks to give
the prosecutors time to prepare their sentence request. The
prosecutors had asked for one month. (13)