Witnesses quarrel over evidence

Witnesses quarrel over evidence

JAKARTA (JP): The mother and brother of a youth accused of
murdering his ex-girlfriend admitted on Wednesday to quarreling
over a piece of cloth apparently soaked in chloroform that was
allegedly used in the murder.

In hearing of the trial of Teddy Yaputra Sulaiman, 17, in West
Jakarta District Court, the suspect's mother, Susanti, told the
court that the minor dispute with her other son, Handoko, started
when she told him she had thrown away the smelly cloth.

The woman testified that she found the cloth in a car used by
Teddy while searching for the ignition key.

She said the strong unpleasant odor of the alleged chloroform
forced her to throw the cloth away immediately.

Handoko, who previously spotted the cloth in the car and left
it there, later asked his mother what had happened to the cloth.

Unsatisfied with Susanti's explanation, Handoko accused his
mother of hiding the cloth so it could not be used as evidence.

According to Handoko, the wet piece of cloth with the sharp
stench aroused his suspicion when he first found it in the car.

Police say the car is the vehicle that was used by Teddy to
take his former girlfriend to the Hidup Sehat clinic.

Wednesday's trial saw two of the family's servants --
Blacktozom and Ikhsan Mulyono -- accused of assisting Teddy in
the crime.

The victim, Heppy Trinita, 17, died after apparently inhaling
chloroform from a cloth that Teddy allegedly prepared for her.

Prosecutor Patta Sikapang said in a closed trial last month
that the defendant planned to drug and rape Heppy after the girl
refused to meet him any longer.

"The defendant was very angry after being rejected by the
victim," Sikapang said.

But Teddy's lawyer, Sammy Kikilaitety, said on Wednesday that
the action was merely "to impress the girl".

According to him, Teddy planned a fake robbery in which he and
Heppy would be robbed by two bandits: Blacktozom and Ikhsan.

The chloroform was initially intended to make Heppy pass out,
so that Teddy could fight the "robbers" and show that he could
rescue his girlfriend, Teddy's lawyer said.

Before carrying out the plan, the three had tested the
chloroform on a chicken and a rabbit, both of which survived,
lawyer Kikilaitety said.

However, the lawyer explained, Blacktozom had apparently
covered the girls' mouth with the chloroform for too long.

The hearings of Blacktozom and Ikhsan will be held again next
Wednesday, while there will be a closed trial of Teddy on Monday.
(03)