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)