Prosecutors seek death penalty for murder suspects
Prosecutors seek death penalty for murder suspects
JAKARTA (JP): Prosecutors told a court here yesterday that
they are sticking with their indictment against a murder suspect
and their demand for the death penalty.
Before the East Jakarta district court, prosecutor Agung Dipo
refuted the defendants' and their lawyers' defense, and
reiterated his team's indictment against suspect Philipus Kia
Ledjab.
"It is the defendant's right to retract his statements. When
the suspect was handed over to prosecutor, he admitted that he,
his wife, and the children had murdered Rohadi's wife and
children," Agung said, referring to Philipus' statements in
previous court hearings.
During the court hearings, Agung added, Philipus had
repeatedly been asked whether his statements filed in the police
reports were his own and that they were given without pressure.
"To these questions, the suspect agreed," he added.
The Prosecutors' rebuttal of fact distortions was prominent
throughout their 13-page reply to lawyers.
Prosecutors accused Philipus' defense lawyers of intentionally
leaving out several witnesses' testimonies and citing invalid
references in identifying victims' blood types. In addition, the
lawyers were accused of making an erroneous legal-based claim
when they said there had been no witnesses when evidence was
confiscated.
Prosecutors also explained that the suspect admitted to
returning home through a back road, the very same path discovered
by dog tracking team.
They also rebutted the lawyers' statement that the victims had
been killed with long machetes (klewang), as post mortem reports
revealed that the crime could have also been committed using
other sharp weapons.
A woman and her three children were brutally murdered at their
home in the Bambu Apus subdistrict of East Jakarta on Oct. 2,
1995.
Five suspects, including Philipus' wife, Suparmi, and three
other minors have been tried in separate court hearings.
At the May 6 hearing, prosecutors had demanded death sentences
for Philipus and Suparmi, and 18-year prison terms for each of
the minors.
Responding to Philipus' self-defense, Agung said that the
suspect's retraction of his own previous police report is
invalid, especially when he merely said that the report is
inadmissible evidence.
The hearing has been adjourned until next Thursday, when
Philipus' and his lawyers' defense will be heard. (14)