Police nab third suspect in Nusa Dua murders; 3 at large

The police say that officers have arrested a third suspect, AK, in East Java for the Valentine’s Day triple homicide in Nusa Dua.

“Special teams from the Denpasar Police, in cooperation with the Situbondo Police in East Java caught AK in his house in Probolinggo, East Java,” Bali Police Chief Insp. Gen. Totoy Herawan Indra told reporters on Wednesday in Denpasar.

The police allege that AK, a construction worker in Bali, was involved in the murders of I Made Purnabawa, 28; Purnabawa’s wife, Ni Luh Ayu Sri Mahayoni, 27; and their daughter, Ni Wayan Krisna Ayu Dewi, 9, on Feb. 14.

Officers were led to AK by information obtained from the other two suspects detained in the case: Heru Hendrianto, the driver of the slain family, and his wife, Putu Anita Sutra Dewi, the slain family’s maid and a distant relative.

Heru, Putu and their young son lived in Purnabawa’s house, which provided them easy access to the victims, according to the police.

The decomposing bodies of Purnabawa, Mahayoni and Dewi were found on Sunday morning on a dry field in Jembrana, about 100 kilometers away from their home.

According to the police, Heru confessed to planing the murders, saying that he and four friends made their plans on the evening of Feb. 13 on the beach in Kerobokan.

Totoy offered the following account of the murders, based on Heru’s confession.

Heru claimed to have killed the family’s dog before letting his friends into the house before dawn on Feb. 14.

The victims were asleep when the men entered their rooms and attacked them with wooden blocks and iron pipes.

The victims suffered multiple blunt force trauma injuries that were consistent with the autopsies, Totoy said.

In the morning, Totoy continued, the suspects took the family’s two motorbikes, placed the corpses in Purnabawa’s car and traveled to Jembrana to dump the bodies in the field before fleeing to East Java.

Heru, Putu and AK are currently in detention at the Situbondo Police headquarters.

Three special teams of detectives and officers from the Denpasar Police would question the trio as they track down the three remaining suspects, identified as SG, HD, and HM, all friends of Heru, Totoy said.

“We will take them to Bali when all the suspects have been arrested,” he added.

Heru confessed that he plotted the murder out of rage, according to Totoy. He was offended by the way the family had treated him and his family.

“[Heru] said that he felt embittered because his boss didn’t pay his wages. This is only his confession. We don’t know whether it is true. We planned to have Heru’s mental health checked,” Totoy said.

The suspects would be charged with violating article 338 and 365 of the Criminal Code, the chief added.

“They are facing a maximum penalty of 20 years’ imprisonment or life imprisonment. Obviously, we will try to get the maximum penalty for them because their crime was so heinous.”