Tragic murder leaves families mourning

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.