Tragic murder leaves families mourning

Indra Harsaputra, The Jakarta Post, Surabaya

The families of two murder victims in a courtroom in the East Java town of Sidoardjo were grieving on Thursday over the sudden loss of their loved ones at the hands of a Navy colonel who was enraged after losing a court case.

Col. Mohammad Irfan, 50, stabbed to death his former wife Eka Suhartini, 43, on Wednesday after losing in the case that he filed at Sidoarjo religious court. He then chased and stabbed judge Achmad Taufiq to death, while two other judges on the panel escaped.

The court granted Eka, who divorced Irfan on Feb. 20 last year and was raising the couple's two children on her own, the ownership rights of a house in Waru area, Sidoarjo on Wednesday.

"I'm really disappointed with what he (Irfan) did and I want him to be given the severest penalty," Eka's father, Commodore (ret.) R. Soentoro, who is former deputy governor of the Navy Academy, said after his daughter's funeral at Boto Putih cemetery in Penggirian, Surabaya on Thursday.

The officer, who is now in military police custody, will be brought before a military court in Surabaya.

Eka's eldest child, 18-year-old Mohammad Danu Faneka, broke into tears when his mother's remains were sent in for burial.

When asked by The Jakarta Post what he thought of the murder, Danu whispered he would not forgive his father for what he did.

He recalled his father as a selfish person who did not care about his family and used to beat him and his mother.

Danu disclosed that his parents were divorced because Irfan was having an affair with another woman, who was reportedly living in the Semolowaru area in Surabaya.

"We are so depressed. I used to be beaten up (by my father) and now I have lost my mother," Danu said.

The family lived a comfortable life, they owned a house and three cars. Irfan claimed he had the rights to the house while Eka insisted it was a gift from her parents.

"I don't know what will happen next but I'll pray for my mother," Danu said.

Deep sorrow was also felt by judge Achmad Taufiq's wife Endah Sunaryanti and their three children -- Indah Fauziah, 22; Mahdi Hamdam, 19; and Farid Wildan, 10 -- who could not stop crying when their father's remains were sent for burial in Menanggal cemetery close to their home.

"We're a happy family. My husband never treated our children badly, he always tried to give the best for us," Endah told the Post.

With her husband gone, she will have to work hard to finance the three children's education. She said her husband wanted them to study to the highest level they could. "I'm sure that in the beginning, there will be many challenges but I have to be strong for the sake of my children," she said.

At the Sidoarjo religious court, traces of blood from the murder were still visible. The crime scene was cordoned off by police. No case was being presented at the court as it was in mourning. The court will reopen on Oct. 6.