Police examine gun fingerprints in Adiguna case
Abdul Khalik, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Police are examining the fingerprints on the gun allegedly used by murder suspect Adiguna Sutowo to shoot Yohannes Berchmans Haerudy Natong, or Rudy, a waiter at the Hilton Hotel in Central Jakarta.
National Police spokesman Insp. Gen. Paiman said on Monday the police forensic lab was examining a gun turned over by a man identified only as Wwn on Friday night, to determine whether Adiguna's fingerprints were on the weapon.
"We are still testing whether Adiguna's fingerprints are on the gun. We hope we can determine this soon to complete the case file," said Paiman.
He said it was possible the suspect's fingerprints had been wiped off the .22 caliber revolver in an effort to eliminate evidence.
"It would be better if we could find Adiguna's fingerprints because it would strengthen our case against him. But if we can't find his fingerprints it won't damage our case because we already have a lot of evidence," Paiman said.
The police announced over the weekend they had received the gun allegedly used in the murder from a man identified only as Wwn, alias Sfr.
The gun is a silver and black revolver manufactured in the U.S. by Smith and Wesson. Three bullets, similar to ones discovered earlier in Adiguna's house, were still inside the chambers.
Ballistic tests subsequently confirmed that the bullet that killed Rudy was fired from the gun.
According to the police, Wwn, who was about a meter away from Rudy at the time of the murder, was handed the gun by Adiguna after the shooting. Afraid of being accused of murder, Wwn left the scene and went into hiding, while following the latest developments in the case through the media.
Wwn has reportedly told police that he witnessed Adiguna shoot Rudy at 3:30 a.m. on Jan. 1 in the Hilton's Fluid Club.
Asked whether the police would also charge Wwn if his fingerprints were on the gun, Paiman said Wwn was a key witness in the case and not a suspect.
Officers have questioned 19 other people as witnesses in the murder, and at least three people have told officers they saw Adiguna shoot Rudy.
Earlier on Monday, Jakarta Police chief Insp. Gen. Firman Gani said officers would reconstruct the shooting and submit the case file to prosecutors this week.
"We hope to submit the case file to the prosecutor's office two or three days after the reconstruction. We don't need a confession from Adiguna to complete the case file because we have all the witnesses and evidence to charge him," he said.
Adiguna continues to deny shooting Rudy, saying he was in another room when the incident occurred. The suspect claims he attempted to help the victim by ordering him rushed to a nearby clinic.