Oki kills all three victims: LAPD detective
Oki kills all three victims: LAPD detective
JAKARTA (JP): Based on the tentative investigation of the Los
Angeles police department, Harnoko Dewantono, alias Oki, 30, is
strongly believed to have killed all three victims, says visiting
detective Ted Ball.
"He killed all three," Ball told The Jakarta Post after
holding a meeting with Oki's lawyer and several senior Jakarta
police officers yesterday.
During a series of questioning sessions while in police
custody here, Oki gave at least two different versions of the
killing of Suresh Mirchandani, a man of Indian origin, Gina Sutan
Aswar, a young Indonesian woman, and (Eri) Tri Harto Darmawan,
Oki's younger brother.
Oki once told the investigating officers that he only killed
Eri after his brother murdered the other two victims.
Oki, 30, was quoted late last month by then city police chief,
Maj. Gen. Mochammad Hindarto as allegedly saying he killed Eri in
self-defense when Eri pointed a gun at him.
At another questioning session, Oki reportedly confessed to
killing all three victims with various weapons, including a gun,
hammer, baseball bat and monkey wrench.
As the Los Angeles Police Department claims to have complete
information and material evidence on the triple murder, the
statement from their detective might strongly indicate Oki's
alleged role in the killing of the three people.
Ball, who is here with his partner detective Ed Ramirez,
refused to disclose further details.
He hurriedly got into a green BMW sedan which had been
borrowed by the city police from a local businessman for the
transportation of the two detectives.
According to Deputy to the National Police Chief for
Operational Affairs Maj. Gen. Koesparmono Irsan, who held a
separate meeting yesterday with the two detectives, about 90
percent of Oki's confession has been found to be correct.
"The remaining 10 percent is still unmatched as he keeps on
saying `I forget'," Koesparmono said.
The entire story will be revealed by the police later when
their investigation is completed, he added.
Speaking earlier to a huge number of reporters, who had been
waiting at the City Crime Investigation Directorate office since
morning, Ball said their investigation has been going very well.
"... and the Jakarta police have been extremely cooperative
with our investigation (here)," he said.
The two visiting detectives from the Los Angeles Homicide
Robbery Division arrived here on Sunday and are expected to be
here for about two weeks.
No evidence
Their arrival with a number of Jakarta senior detectives, who
had just ended their investigation in Los Angeles, had been
anticipated by scores of reporters at the international Soekarno-
Hatta airport.
The group, however, were led to another exit gate, thereby
disappointing the journalists.
As was expected, the two American detectives brought no
material evidence with them, indicating that the United States
definitely wants Oki to be tried in Los Angeles.
According to Oki's lawyer Amir Syamsuddin, the visit of the
two detectives is in anticipation of the possibility of Oki being
tried in the United States.
"I've just met both of them and they said they have no plans
to interrogate, or even ask a single question of the suspect as
he had been misreported by several local media," Amir told
reporters.
The American detectives only want Oki to have the initiative
to open up to them if the trial of the murders takes place in Los
Angeles, the lawyer said.
"It will totally depend on Oki himself whether he wants to
meet with LAPD detectives or not," he said.
Amir said that he has informed his client about the arrival of
the two detectives and of his position in the case.
Oki's hopes
Oki's father Herdarno Hendarmin and lawyers from the Ruhut
Sitompoel, Tommy Sihotang & Associates met with Oki earlier
yesterday.
"Oki hopes the media will leave his ex-girlfriend Ipunk and
ex-wife Anggi out of it. They aren't linked to the case at all,"
Ruhut said.
"Take pity on them because they have nothing to do with all
these things. It's all my responsibility," Oki was quoted by
Ruhut as saying.
City police have yet to formally announce the details of the
three murders, such as the accurate date and places of the
murders and how the victims were killed.
Suresh had been reported missing since 1991, while Gina went
missing in 1992. The date of Eri's disappearance is unknown.
Their decomposed bodies were found together in a storage
locker in Los Angeles in August last year and were identified
four months later.
Since then the Los Angeles Police Department has issued a
warrant for Oki's arrest. He is their main suspect.
Oki was arrested on Jan. 7 in Central Jakarta for alleged
passport forgery and was later questioned in connection to the
killings. (bsr)