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)