Two brothers sentenced to death for murder
Agus Maryono, The Jakarta Post, Purwokerto
Four members of a family in Banyumas regency, Central Java, have received severe sentences for premeditated murder and dismembering a body.
A panel of judges led by Bambang Widyatmoko at the Purwokerto District Court sentenced on Monday Agus Santoso, 28, and his younger brother Ruslan Abdul Ghani, 24, to death for the murder of Hery Best, a bodyguard working for a former Banyumas legislative council speaker.
Their 63-year old father, Sony Tarsono, was also found guilty of the premeditated murder and dismemberment and jailed for 20 years.
The same court last week also sentenced Sony's other son, Mukti Wibowo, to 10 years in prison over the same charges. The court gave Mukti a lighter sentence because of his age; he was 17 years old at the time of the crimes.
The family members were held responsible for the murder on Aug. 24, last year of Hery Best, a resident from neighboring Kauman Lama.
Based on the results of the police investigation, the murder was a revenge crime after a dispute over a trading area near the Purwokerto bus terminal.
Police said the murder was committed at the suspects' house and the Hery's body was then dismembered, with the body parts dumped in separate places.
The head was found in Baturaden, about 15 kilometers from the murder scene, while the other parts were dumped in Banjarnegara, about 40 kilometers away.
After sentencing, Agus and Ruslan said they would appeal to the high court.
Shocked family members said the verdict was unfair and made no sense. It was strange that some members received death sentences while others were given lighter punishments, they said.
The presiding judge, Bambang, said Sony did not receive a death sentence because of his age, 63, and because he had not taken part in dismembering Hery, although he had disposed of some of the body parts.
The lawyer for the convicted family members, Paulus Gunadi, told The Jakarta Post he would need one week to prepare the appeal.