Police weigh out cause of journalist's death

Wahyoe Boediwardhana, The Jakarta Post, Denpasar, Bali

Twelve days after the death of former Time magazine senior journalist Sandra Jean Burton, police here are still struggling to determine whether they have a homicide case on their hands.

"We are still investigating whether the bruises and wounds found on her body were the result of an accident or of some other cause," Bali Police spokesman Sr. Comr. Rosalia P. Gaut said on Tuesday.

Citing the autopsy report, Gaut stated that a skull fracture on the right side of Burton's rear cranial bone was believed to be the primary cause of death. Intense contact between the head and a blunt object was considered the probable cause of the fracture.

The postmortem report also noted eight different contusions on her head.

"Moreover, there was a contusion on her wrist, a rupture on the cheek -- right under one of the eyes -- and another wound, which looks like a strangulation mark, on her neck," Gaut said.

However, Erwin Siregar, the lawyer for Burton's partner Robert Delfts, asserted an accident was the only possible cause of Burton's death.

"I have spoken to Robert, his housekeepers Agus Susanto and Nengah Sudasti. Based on those conversations I am convinced that her death did not involve any foul play," he said.

Burton's body was first found by her husband on Friday night, Feb. 27, lying on the bathroom floor of their rented house in Sanur. It appeared she had experienced difficulty in breathing.

Delfts tried to resuscitate her for some time. When resuscitation failed, Delfts and Agus moved the body to a more spacious room. While Agus called an ambulance, Delfts tried once again to revive her.

The 62-year-old veteran U.S. journalist died before the arrival of the ambulance. Her body was cremated on Monday at the Taman Mumbul crematorium in Jimbaran.

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A family member said the cremation was not possible until 10 days after her death. Without the autopsy, the remains of Burton could not be discharged from the morgue.

Known to her colleagues as a top-notch reporter, Burton had written many high-profile political stories in Asia, covering the popular uprising against Marcos in the Philippines, which won her the respect and friendship of former Philippine president Cory Aquino.

After resigning, she moved to Bali to write her memoirs, a relative said.