Suspect requests to visit victim's grave rejected

Theresia Sufa, The Jakarta Post/Bogor

The Cibinong District Court turned down the defense's request for murder suspect Ronald Johanes Aroean to visit the grave of the victim, Amanda Devina.

"It's in the interests of the safety of the defendant," presiding judge Andi Samsan Nganro said.

The court also rejected the defense team's argument that the prosecution's case was unclear because it did not mention the suspected motive behind the murder and details of the crime.

Prosecutor Tommy Sepontana charged Ronald, a Trisakti University student, under Article 340 of the Criminal Code on premeditated murder which carries a maximum punishment of death and Article 181 on concealing corpses with a maximum punishment of nine months in prison.

Amanda, also a Trisakti student, was found murdered in her car near the toll road in Bandung, West Java, on July 30.

Ronald told the police he killed Amanda on July 28 at his house in Jatijajar housing complex in Cimanggis, Depok, when she asked him to marry her, because she was five months pregnant with his child.

He claimed he did not intend to kill her.

Afterward, he put Amanda in her Nissan Terrano and drove around to find a quiet place to dump her body. He changed his mind and instead abandoned the car on Jl. Soekarno-Hatta, Bandung, near the Leuwi Panjang bus terminal, returning to Jakarta on a public bus.

Ronald allegedly left a note in the car warning Amanda's father not to call the police.