Prime suspect in murder of model may face 15 years in prison
Hasyim Widhiarto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Wed, 11/18/2009 5:50 PM
A makeup artist suspected of murdering a would-be client in West Jakarta earlier this month could face 15 years in prison, police said Wednesday.
“We will almost certainly charge him under Articles 338 [on murder] and 365 [on violent theft] of the Criminal Code, which carry a maximum sentence of 15 years in jail,” West Jakarta Police chief Sr. Comr. A. Kamil Razak told The Jakarta Post.
Kamil said preliminary questioning found no strong indication that the killing of freelance model and university student Setianti “Tia” Retno Dewi was premeditated.
“But we’re still waiting for the autopsy to confirm it,” he said.
Dede “Fajar” Setiawan was arrested Tuesday in Banjarmasin, South Kalimantan, a week after Tia was murdered at the Mediterania Apartment block in West Jakarta.
The suspect claimed he killed her for financial motives.
According to him, Tia had initially promised to use his services, but then kept canceling her appointments with him.
Police believe that on Nov. 9, Dede visited Tia at her apartment and asked to borrow money, but was turned down. The argument devolved into a fight, in which Dede was believed to have hit Tia in the head three times with bathroom scales.
