Philipus and four others stand trial on murder charges
Philipus and four others stand trial on murder charges
JAKARTA (JP): The East Jakarta District Court yesterday began
trying five suspects charged with killing a woman and three
children in Bambu Apus, East Jakarta, on Oct.2 last year.
The five defendants are being tried separately by three panels
of judges.
The first panel, led by Judge Sunarto, is trying Philipus Kia
Lejab, 47, the prime suspect in the multiple murder.
The second panel, led by Judge Tojib Matderis, is trying
Philipus' wife Suparmi, 41. The third panel, led by Farida
Achmad, is trying Philipus' sons Albertus, 16, Lambertus, 12, and
nephew Clemence, 13.
The East Jakarta prosecutors' office has appointed three teams
to handle the case, headed by Saleh Abdurrahman, Hatta Renuad and
Mirza Yanuar.
The defendants are accompanied by 13 lawyers from O.C. Kaligis
and Partners law firm.
The court session trying Albertus, Lambertus and Clemence is
closed to the public because the defendants are minors.
A total of 150 police and military servicemen, some from the
anti-riot unit, secured yesterday's trial to prevent public anger
getting out of hand. They are equipped with shields, cudgels and
sniffer dogs.
The security officers frisked visitors and exchanged their ID
cards for visitor cards. Some 200 visitors were prohibited from
entering the court compound.
"We did so to prevent any unpleasant incidents," said chief of
East Jakarta police precinct Lt. Col. Gorris Mere.
The security officers also escorted the defendants to protect
them from public anger. Police guided Philipus through the back
door of the courtroom. He was brought to the courtroom in a
special car.
Visitors shouted out "Satan, Satan", and "hang them, hang
them" when the defendants were leaving the court, but no
incidents happened.
Prosecutor Saleh Abdurrahman said Philipus had planned the
murder one day before the crime; he told Suparmi, "we will kill
Rohadi's family members tomorrow."
Philipus wanted Rohadi's land which is adjacent to his, Saleh
said. Philipus was angry after Rohadi's children destroyed his
cassava trees, the prosecutor added.
At around 9 am of Oct. 2, the five suspects allegedly went to
the victims' house, carrying sharp weapons with them.
Philipus then instructed his companions to pretend to work on
his land near the house, waiting for the right moment, the
prosecutor said.
A few minutes later, Rohadi's wife Elly Kusneli left her house
with her eight-month-old child, Erica Pricilia.
When Elly was out of sight, Philipus and his group entered the
house, Saleh said.
Then Philipus and the three young suspects, with the help of
his wife Suparmi brutally stabbed Rohadi's children Gilang M.
Fauzi, 8, Citra Utami, 4, and Rizky Wahyu Ramadhan, 3, Saleh said
in his indictment.
"As Elly opened the door to her house with Erika in her arms,
the suspects knocked her to the floor and stabbed her more than a
dozen times," Saleh said.
Erica, who was tied by a shawl to her mother's neck, survived.
According to the prosecutor, the defendants are charged with
premeditated murder which violates article 340 and 55 of the
Criminal Code.
They could be sentenced to death or life imprisonment if found
guilty.
The court session which tried Philipus yesterday also heard
testimonies from four witnesses, including Rohadi and his eldest
daughter Mike, and Mike's friends, Nurhayati and Anna.
Rohadi said he was teaching at a junior high school in
Cengkareng when the incident took place.
Mike and her classmate Nurhayati said that they found the
victims dead when they got home from school.
The trial was adjourned until Feb. 6. (29)