Oki sentenced to death for L.A. triple murder

Oki sentenced to death for L.A. triple murder

JAKARTA (JP): Harnoko Dewantono, alias Oki, was sentenced to
death for first degree murder by a panel of judges in the Central
Jakarta District Court, yesterday.

Oki, 32, was found guilty of murdering three people: his
Indian business partner Suresh Mirchandani; Indonesian business
partner Gina Sutan Aswar, and his younger brother Tri Harto
Darmawan alias Eri, in California, the United States, in 1991 and
1992.

Judge I.G.K. Sukarata said Oki was guilty under article 340 of
the Criminal Code for premeditated murder.

"The murders was extremely brutal, and one of the victims was
his own brother. He also cunningly accused his brother for
killing Suresh, and gave a confusing testimony," Sukarata said.

He also said that because the crime was committed overseas it
was an embarrassment to Indonesia.

Sukarata said there was no reason to be lenient because what
Oki did was sadistic.

The packed courtroom included Ted Ball and Ed Ramirez,
detectives from the Los Angeles Police Department, who
investigated the case in the United States. Outside the court
they said they were satisfied with the verdict.

Ball told reporters that he trusted the law system here and
the verdict was as he expected. "All the evidence was clear in
proving Oki's involvement in the crime, and as far as we're
concern the case is finished," he said.

Ball and Ramirez were sent here by their police department at
the invitation of the Indonesian Police Department to observe to
observed the trial.

Spectators also included Gina Sutan Aswar's sisters and
brother, while Oki's family was nowhere to be seen.

After the hearing, one of Oki's lawyers said Oki's family did
not attend the hearing to avoid media attention.

"It was hard enough for them," he said.

The hearing was covered by dozens of reporters from local and
foreign media.

Oki's team of lawyers immediately requested permission to
appeal to a higher court, which the court granted.

Henry Yosodiningrat, one of the lawyers, said, "As we had
stated before in the defense statement, our client did not kill
Suresh, and that he was sorry for what he did."

Outside the court, Henry also said the judges did not take
into consideration that the defendant had apologized for any
wrongdoing and that he was polite during the trial.

Henry told reporters that the judges only relied on the
witnesses' testimony and Oki's testimony on the killing of
Suresh.

"But we believe that all witnesses could not prove that Oki
was the killer," he added.

Oki, who wore a black suit and dark blue tie, was motionless
throughout the trial. He only moved after the judges finished
reading the verdict.

After the hearing, reporters immediately surrounded Oki and
bombarded him with questions, which he did not answer. He
remained calm and expressionless when Henry held him and
whispered something.

But he was close to tears when reporters interviewed him in
his detention cell in the courthouse.

He said that he did not kill Suresh, and that he had prayed
and asked Allah to forgive his sins. "I never killed Suresh, this
sentence is too hard for me, the judge was wrong to give me this
sentence," he said.

Meanwhile, Judge Sukarata said this was the first time in the
32 years of his career he had sentenced someone to death.

"I believe I made the right decision, which I have considered
over and over."

Safiya Sutan Aswar, Gina Sutan Aswar's older sister, said her
family accepted the verdict and was glad the trial was over. (12)