Trivial! Over a Towel and Toiletries, a Teenager in Kelapa Gading Kills Their Sibling with a Hammer

A teenager, identified only as MAH (16), has shocked residents of Kelapa Gading, North Jakarta, by allegedly killing their older sibling, MAE (22), with a hammer.

The North Jakarta Police are handling the case. The Head of the Child and Women Protection Unit at the North Jakarta Police, Commissioner Ni Luh Sri Arsini, stated that the incident occurred on Tuesday, February 24th, 2026, at approximately 5:00 PM. At the time of the incident, both siblings were at home.

“The incident happened in the afternoon, around 5:00 PM. The trigger was that the older sibling had placed some personal items in the younger sibling’s room, such as toiletries and a towel,” Ni Luh said on Thursday, February 26th, 2026.

This seemingly trivial matter apparently ignited long-held emotions. MAH reportedly felt annoyed that their older sibling had placed personal items in their room. The tension escalated when their mother intervened, but the older sibling allegedly ignored her.

“That was the trigger for their anger. They immediately took a hammer from the kitchen and hit their older sibling on the head while they were feeding their pet,” she said.

MAH did not stop after the first blow, repeatedly hitting their sibling on the head until they collapsed and eventually died.

“They hit them several times. After the first blow, the victim collapsed, but they continued to hit them almost five more times. They were very angry, so they released their anger by repeatedly hitting their sibling on the head,” she said.

During questioning, MAH admitted that the brutal act was an outburst of long-held emotions due to various issues with their sibling.

“There were actually some underlying issues between the siblings. Communication was somewhat strained, and the younger sibling was quite introverted,” she said.

In addition to communication issues, the perpetrator is also said to have harbored feelings of jealousy because they felt that their parents paid more attention to their older sibling.

“Among other things, that was the breaking point. There were also some family issues before. The child felt that their older sibling was given more attention and that their wishes were always granted,” Ni Luh said.