Australian killing to be re-enacted

Dicky Christanto , The Jakarta Post , Denpasar | Mon, 03/03/2008 11:32 AM | Bali

Following the arrest of two suspects in the murder of Australian national Heidi Murphy, the investigating officers will carry out a re-enactment on Tuesday at the crime scene in North Kuta, a police official said.

Badung Police Chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Achmad Subarkah said Saturday the simulation would be useful in conjunction with information obtained from interrogation. "The re-enactment will enable us to move forward with the investigation."

"Hopefully, the process will also reveal additional critical information that will broaden our understanding on the motive behind this crime, including the existence of motives other than the one given us by the suspects," he said.

Having suspects "reenact" crimes is common in high-profile homicides, allowing investigating officers to compare suspects' verbal accounts and Bavaria. Discrepancies sometimes suggest new avenues for resolving a case.

Australian clothing businesswoman Heidi Murphy, who had lived in Bali for about three years, was found dead on Feb. 10 in the bedroom of her Canggu, North Kuta villa. An autopsy revealed she had been stabbed 37 times.

Moved by the brutal nature of the murder and the ensuing public outcry, Bali Police chief Insp. Gen. Paulus Purwoko gave himself and his team a one-month deadline to solve the case.

The police arrested the first suspect, Nuryanto, on Feb. 20 in a bus terminal in Tegal, Central Java. He was awaiting a bus that would have taken him to Jakarta.

According to police, Nuryanto told the officers that the murder was carried out by his friend, Fahrul Rozi. Nuryanto was asked by Fahrul to be picked up from the villa on the night of the murder, they said.

According to Purwoko, Fahrul admitted said he had originally planned only a burglary but "when the victim woke up and started screaming, Rozi stabbed her repeatedly to silence her".

According to police Fahrul took a laptop, two cell phones and Rp 1.1 million in cash, allegedly selling the items in Jakarta for Rp 2.9 million.

Police are saying he told them he needed the money because he wanted to get engaged.

Fahrul and Nuryanto were employed as construction workers in a project at Jimbaran, some 15 kilometers from the villa, police said.

Both are in jail in Badung. If convicted, 20-year sentences are possible, said police.

According to police Fahrul has a previous burglary conviction and was recently released from prison after serving a four-month sentence.

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