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Jessica showed suspicious behavior long before murder: Mirna’s father

Wayan Mirna Salihin’s family members have said they had long considered Jessica Kumala Wongso, the defendant in Mirna’s murder trial, a peculiar girl, adding that their suspicion toward the 28-year-old girl became stronger on the day Mirna passed away after drinking a glass of cyanide-tainted iced coffee

Indra Budiari (The Jakarta Post)
Jakarta
Wed, July 13, 2016

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Jessica showed suspicious behavior long before murder: Mirna’s father

W

ayan Mirna Salihin’s family members have said they had long considered Jessica Kumala Wongso, the defendant in Mirna’s murder trial, a peculiar girl, adding that their suspicion toward the 28-year-old girl became stronger on the day Mirna passed away after drinking a glass of cyanide-tainted iced coffee.

During Tuesday’s hearing, Mirna’s father Edi Darmawan Salihin testified before the court that prior to the murder, he and his wife had always thought of Jessica as their daughter’s “strange friend”. The outspoken man said Jessica was “not that close” with Mirna but acted like she knew them very well.

“She did strange things like hugging my wife very tightly when they first met or going into our bedroom when she visited the house,” Edi said.

Jessica has been charged with murdering Mirna by putting cyanide into an iced coffee that Jessica ordered during a social gathering. The permanent resident of Australia could face the death penalty as she is being charged under Article 340 of Indonesian Criminal Code (KUHP) on premeditated murder.

The prosecutors have accused the 27-year-old of arranging a meeting with Mirna, who was also her college friend at a design school in Australia, along with another friend, Boon “Hani” Juwita, at an upscale restaurant in Central Jakarta on Jan. 6.

According to the indictment, Jessica planned to kill Mirna after the latter made derogatory remarks about Jessica’s then boyfriend, calling him ill-mannered and a drug abuser.

Edi said he met with Jessica at the Abdi Waluyo Hospital in Central Jakarta shortly after Mirna was rushed to the hospital, but he noticed that Jessica was acting strangely by avoiding him when he sought an explanation of the incident. He added that Jessica had also pretended she was having a stomachache and was short of breath to avoid the conversation.

“[She showed] no signs of grieving when Mirna was pronounced dead a few moments earlier,” he told the court. “That is not the behavior of a normal person. ”

In contrast, he said Hani, who had been with Jessica and Mirna, appeared shocked and confused and had wept continuously.

During Tuesday’s hearing, Mirna’s relatives including Edi, her husband Arief Sumarko and her twin sister Sandy Salihin took turns testifying as witnesses for the prosecution. The three were among the witnesses and evidence that includes CCTV footage of the crime scene.

Arief said that a few months before the murder Mirna had told him she had not felt comfortable around Jessica recently. He said that in December, Mirna had told him that Jessica was quite upset with her after she said something harsh about Jessica’s then boyfriend, an incident that made their friendship turn sour for some period of time.

The widower also said he wondered why Jessica could be so calm after witnessing the death of her friend, while Hani could not stop crying at the hospital.

“The only reason why Mirna wanted to show up for that meeting was because she wanted to maintain a good relationship with Jessica. Nothing else,” he said.

Jessica, who sat beside her defense team during the hearing, contradicted the testimonies of both Edi and Arief, saying she had not been upset over the negative remarks made by Mirna about her boyfriend at the time.

Jessica said that soon after the conversation that prosecutors considered the murder motive, the two of them went to a café and even took a selfie together and sent it to Hani.

“There was no fight whatsoever, I have never been upset with Mirna because there was nothing to be upset about,” she said.

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