Teenager in Nabire Burns Female Friend to Death Over Fear of Secret Exposure

A junior high school teenager in Nabire, Central Papua, with the initials AWS (15), has been arrested for burning his female friend, CK (14), to death. Nabire Deputy Police Chief Commissioner Piter Kendek stated that A allegedly took the extreme step of killing the victim out of fear that their intimate relationship would be discovered by his parents.

Piter explained that the victim and the perpetrator had dated in May 2026. During that relationship, it was discovered that the two had engaged in sexual intercourse. “The perpetrator and the victim had sexual intercourse once without any coercion,” Piter said in a statement on Sunday (2/8). Their relationship ended in June 2026 after the perpetrator became close to another girl at school. The victim, who did not accept the decision, then threatened to tell the perpetrator’s parents about their relationship.

“The victim threatened the perpetrator that she would tell his parents that the perpetrator had already had sexual intercourse with her,” Piter revealed. The threat terrified the perpetrator. According to police, the perpetrator briefly considered ending his own life but cancelled the intention and instead chose to cut off communication by blocking the victim’s WhatsApp number. “Then the perpetrator replied, ‘Don’t!!’. Because he felt scared, the perpetrator intended to commit suicide, but the intention was cancelled by the perpetrator himself because he was still thinking about his parents,” Piter said.

The victim then asked her friends to get the perpetrator to unblock her on WhatsApp. After communication was re-established, the perpetrator instead began planning the murder. “The perpetrator was already feeling scared, so from there arose the perpetrator’s intention to kill the victim. The perpetrator and the victim communicated again via WhatsApp chat; at that time, the victim asked the perpetrator if they could meet for the last time,” he disclosed.

The perpetrator then invited the victim to meet in the area in front of Dunia Kolor. Police stated the perpetrator had brought a bottle of kerosene and a kitchen knife stored in the seat compartment of his motorcycle. Initially, the perpetrator intended to stab the victim. However, the plan failed after the victim noticed the knife and tried to flee. “At that moment, the victim immediately felt scared and ran along the road heading back towards town; the perpetrator then put the knife back into the seat while following the victim from behind,” he explained.

The perpetrator then discarded the knife after the victim asked for the weapon to be removed. When the victim felt the situation was safe and approached, the perpetrator pushed her into the bushes, strangled her until she was helpless, and then poured kerosene over her body. “Feeling that the victim was already helpless, the perpetrator then took the kerosene from the motorcycle seat and poured it from her head to her feet; after pouring the kerosene, the perpetrator set fire to the victim’s hair using a gas lighter that had also been prepared beforehand,” Piter revealed.

The victim’s body was found burnt on Jalan Waroki, near Naikere Beach, Nabire Regency, on Thursday (30/7) at around 8:00 PM WIT. The charred condition of the body initially complicated the identification process. Police eventually confirmed the victim’s identity through fingerprints, coordination with the Population and Civil Registration Agency (Disdukcapil), and information from the public until the family came forward to confirm the victim’s identity.

After the victim’s identity was revealed, investigators collected a number of pieces of evidence, including CCTV footage showing the victim with a man before the incident. Based on the investigation results, the perpetrator was successfully apprehended less than 24 hours after the victim’s body was found. “In less than twenty-four hours, we managed to secure the perpetrator. The incident occurred around eight in the evening, and by around 3 a.m., the perpetrator had been secured,” he said.

For his actions, the perpetrator is charged under Article 340 of the Criminal Code concerning premeditated murder. Because the perpetrator is still a child, the legal process will follow the provisions of the juvenile criminal justice system. “Our commitment together with the Police Chief is that this case will be processed professionally. We are charging the perpetrator with premeditated murder because all the evidence points to elements of planning,” he asserted.

Meanwhile, SMP Negeri 1 Nabire in Central Papua has decided to return AWS to his parents. Theresia Maker, Vice Principal for Student Affairs at SMP Negeri 1 Nabire, said the decision was taken in accordance with school administrative regulations because AWS is now a child in conflict with the law (ABH) and has been named a suspect by the Nabire Police. “With a heavy heart, we are returning the child to his parents. So, whether the parents request it or not, we will still return him, and we will automatically remove him from the Dapodik system,” she said in Nabire on Wednesday (6/8).

Theresia stated that her school applies sanctions to students in stages according to the level of violation. She further mentioned that AWS’s daily behaviour at school was the same as other students, and he never showed any suspicious signs of psychological disturbance. “As far as our observations go, AWS’s daily life was the same as his friends. There were no visible psychological symptoms that were different. If there had been any prominent behaviour, a report would certainly have reached us,” she said.

Theresia acknowledged that before the murder case occurred, SMP Negeri 1 Nabire had summoned AWS and his parents regarding issues concerning his relationship with the victim. “The problem had been resolved well, so there was no indication leading to a criminal act. We were shocked that it could reach this severe level, to the point of murder,” Theresia said. The decision to return AWS to his parents was also made to maintain a comfort zone at the school and for the other students.

Head of the Nabire Regency Education Office, Dina Pitjer, stated that her office fully entrusts the legal process of the case involving the student to law enforcement officials. “We from the education office fully entrust this to the authorities,” she said.