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A, one of the defendants allegedly involved in the rape and murder of 19-year-old Enno Farihah, has admitted to his involvement in the case. His confession was recorded in his case dossier presented during a closed court hearing, the prosecutor said.

The 16-year-old RA was presented before a closed court on Tuesday, separated from the two other defendants in the case, Rahmat Aripin and Imam Hapriadi, who are both 24 years old.

The latter two were presented before the court in Wednesday’s hearing which was the second consecutive day of RA’s trial.

RA’s trial was given priority because the law only allows a minor to be detained for 25 days. The prosecutors have 9 days to conclude the trial against RA.

Previously, the judge heard testimonies from seven witnesses on Tuesday.

The Tangerang Prosecutor Office head of General Crime Andi Wiranofa said that, having heard the testimony of five witnesses in court on Wednesday, they were convinced that RA would be held responsible for the crime.

“The testimony provided by the two main witnesses supports the accusation. We also have evidence from an expert, proving that RA’s saliva was found on the victim’s breast and his fingerprints were found in her room,” he said.

Rahmat said before the court that RA was not involved in the murder, before eventually revising his testimony to support the police investigation reports soon before he left the court room, Andi said.

“The other defendant, Imam also acknowledged RA’s involvement. His testimony alone is enough to prove that RA is guilty, “ he said. “But we have yet to hear the testimony of witnesses from the defendants’ side,” he added.

RA was arrested and taken into custody in May after Jakarta Police investigators discovered Enno’s cellphone in the possession of a man known as Eko. Eko later claimed that he bought it from RA for
Rp. 10,000 (76 US Cents).

RA reportedly admitted his involvement in the murder, during police questioning, saying that he had hit the victim in the head with a hoe.

The three defendants are alleged to have smothered Enno, taken turns to rape her and eventually killed her with a hoe.

However Alfan Sari, RA’s lawyer, said that RA was at his house when the incident took place in May.

“His parents were with him, at home, at the time of the incident. We will present witnesses in court tomorrow that will provide an alibi for RA,” he said.

Alfan denied all the accusations, saying that his client and the victim didn’t even know each other. The previous report said that RA was Enno’s boyfriend.

Alfan also said that RA may have been intimidated during the police interrogation.

He went on to say that RA bought Enno’s cellphone from someone named Dimas, before he sold it to Eko.

“We have shown the picture of Dimas and his potential involvement in the case. We have also demanded the court invite Dimas to clarify his involvement,” he said.

However, the prosecutors said that Dimas had not been mentioned during the court hearing.

The prosecutors charged all three defendants with premeditated murder under the Criminal Code. Possible punishments include death, lifetime imprisonment, or 20 years in prison.

Indonesian law recognizes that the final verdict on crimes committed by juvenile will be halved. (fac)