Trial on triple slaying in Los Angeles begins

JAKARTA (JP): The indictment against the sole defendant in the Los Angeles triple slaying was finally read at the Central Jakarta District Court yesterday after a two-week adjournment.

Public Prosecutor J. Kamaru, who led the team of prosecutors, began reading the 17-page indictment after defendant Harnoko Dewantono, better known as Oki, told presiding Judge I.G.K. Sukarata that he now had a team of lawyers to defend him.

According to the indictment, Oki, 32, murdered his Indian national business partner Suresh Gobind Mirchandani on Aug. 19, 1991; his woman friend Gina Sutan Aswar, an Indonesian, on Nov. 2, 1992; and his younger brother, Ery Tri Harto Dharmawan.

"Ery was murdered between the end of 1991 and 1992, because he knew much about Suresh and Gina's death," prosecutor Kamaru said.

The prosecutor cited the three places where each alleged murder occurred: Suresh was shot on Freeway 5 North East 110 in LA; Gina was beaten at the suspect's residence on Kenfield Avenue in Brentwood; and Ery was battered at a Weekly Rental Hotel on Arizona Street, also in LA.

According to the prosecutor, Oki mutilated two of the bodies before they were wrapped in plastic bags and stuffed into wooden boxes. Both of Suresh's wrists were slit and Gina's right ear was sliced.

"All three corpses were first stored at Oaks Self Storage on Van Nuys Boulevard and later moved to U-Haul locker number 109 in North Ridge. The corpses were found on Aug. 10, 1994," the prosecutor said.

The defendant lowered his gaze as the prosecutor read the charges, while photographers and TV cameramen took pictures from several different angles.

It marked the first time in Indonesia that a trial was broadcast live by a TV station. Privately owned ANteve broadcast the entire session, interviewing lawyers, Gina's relatives and court visitors.

Gina's siblings, three sisters and a brother, were present at the court.

Atitje Sutan Azwar, Gina's eldest sister, was seen to burst into tears when Kamaru told the court of Gina's postmortem report.

He added that Oki had used Ery's name to sidetrack investigations.

"Ery's name was used to buy a gun in 1991 and to rent a mail box used as his business address," Kamaru said.

Oki had allegedly persuaded victim Gina to join his company, the American Coast Financial Co., which invested in real-estate.

If found guilty, Oki would face at least 20 years imprisonment for premeditated murder, the prosecutor said.

The defendant's team of lawyers comprise Didi Syamsuddin, Subiakto Saruddin, Subani, Mikha Lumiling and Haris Cahyono. They are being led by Tommy Sihotang, Nurhasyim Ilyas and Henry Yosodiningrat.

The first hearing on June 13 lasted less than 10 minutes after Oki told the court that he had appointed lawyer Amir Syamsuddin after dismissing his lawyer at the time, Tommy Sihotang.

Oki, who ran a small business in LA, is now serving a two-year prison sentence for passport forgery.

The court hearing was adjourned until next Thursday to hear the defense lawyer's reply after being allowed to study the dossiers. (14)

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