U.S. detective says Oki can't be link to death

U.S. detective says Oki can't be link to death

JAKARTA (JP): The trial of an Indonesian charged with a Los
Angeles triple murder took a new twist yesterday when a U.S.
detective said he could not find substantial evidence linking the
suspect, Harnoko Dewantono, alias Oki, to one of the victim's
deaths.

Edward Ramirez, 44, a Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD)
detective, said LAPD investigators did not find any finger prints
on the layers of plastic bags used to wrap the third victim,
Suresh Mirchandani, who was reported missing on Aug. 19, 1991.

"We could not trace any finger prints. The plastic bags were
completely wet with the liquid oozing from the body," Ramirez
told presiding Judge Sukarata at the Central Jakarta District
Court.

Oki denied he planned Mirchandani's murder.

On Tuesday Ted Ball, also a LAPD police detective told the
court he was convinced Oki killed the three victims.

Forensic examination results showed the body was that of
Mirchandani, an Indian and Oki's business partner. Police found
three corpses in August 1994 in the U-Haul storage building in
North Ridge, Los Angeles.

Oki, 32, was charged with murdering Mirchandani, Indonesian
woman Gina Sutan Aswar, and his younger brother Triharto
Dharmawan, alias Eri, in Los Angeles between August 1991 and
November 1992.

Gina was also Oki's business partner.

Police found a bullet in Mirchandani's spinal column. The
corpse's chest was cut wide open. The victim's heart and lungs
were missing and his hands were cut off, Ramirez said.

Ramirez, who has worked on the LAPD's homicide squad for 17
years, said Mirchandani's corpse was made worse because it had
been buried in a yard behind Oki's L.A. house before being moved
to the storage building.

When Judge Subardi asked whether the LAPD could identify who
shot Mirchandani after comprehensive ballistic examinations,
Ramirez said "it is impossible to determine."

Ramirez said Mirchandani was killed in a red Audi car on a
L.A. highway. He said he could not determine whether the car was
moving when Mirchandani was shot.

"The blood stains found under the car's back seat cannot
provide a clue as to from which direction the Indian was shot,"
he said.

Ramirez said he had no idea who bought two 38-caliber Taurus
rifles which might have been used to kill Mirchandani.

However based on Oki's admission to Jakarta police early last
year, Ramirez said he could conclude Oki killed Mirchandani.

"He looked normal during the interrogation and seemed to have
no problem at all," he said.

Ramirez said Oki was enraged because Mirchandani owed him US$
75,000 from his dry-cleaning business which Mirchandani bought.

The detective said Mirchandani did not pay Oki the rest of the
money because the dry cleaning business was unprofitable, but Oki
wanted the rest of the money.

"Oki asked Mirchandani to walk out of his house, before the
latter was killed," Ramirez said.

He said based on information from Oki's ex-girlfriend, Ipunk,
Oki ordered her to buy a box which was allegedly used to store
the body.

"I believe the murder was premeditated," he said.

Oki also denied the dry-cleaning business was unprofitable.

The trial was adjourned until Dec. 6. (07)