T

he defense team’s fight to acquit Jessica Kumala Wongso of the charge of poisoning her friend Wayan Mirna Salihin faced a setback on Wednesday as forensic and toxic experts told the court that the victim’s death was caused by her consuming sodium cyanide.

Jessica is charged with premeditated murder and her lawyers have built her defense on the reasonable doubt surrounding many aspects of the case, including the suggestion that Mirna’s death was not caused by cyanide as claimed by the prosecutors.

On Wednesday the panel of judges heard testimony from forensic expert Slamet Purnomo and police toxicology expert Sr. Comr. Nursamran Subandi who testified that an iced coffee laced with cyanide was the method used to kill Mirna, emphasizing that the amount of cyanide she consumed was more than sufficient to kill her.

Based on the toxicology report 297.6 milligrams sodium cyanide had been consumed by Mirna, with 171.4 milligrams being a lethal dose for someone of Mirna’s weight of 60 kilograms.

Nursamran said that while cyanide was not a substance that was easy to obtain legally in Indonesia, it was not difficult to buy it from illegal sellers in Jakarta.

“After a series of tests by my expert team I have no doubt that Mirna was killed by the cyanide,” he said, adding that the cyanide was very effective as it was poured into an iced coffee because hot water would have neutralized the cyanide’s effects.

Jessica has been accused of lacing the coffee she ordered for Mirna with cyanide during a gathering of friends in an upscale restaurant on Jan. 6. The court was told that after taking a sip of the coffee, Mirna had commented on how bad it tasted and asked Jessica to try it, but she declined.

A CCTV recording played by the prosecutors showed waiters and a visitor rushing to their table as Mirna fell unconscious before convulsing and foaming at the mouth.

Mirna’s friend Boon “Hani” Juwita, then called Mirna’s husband to ask for help, while Jessica stood motionless near Mirna’s body for a few moments.

Through her defense team, led by Otto Hasibuan, Jessica has maintained her innocence, saying that she had no hard feelings against Jessica despite a previous falling out over a former boyfriend, as alleged by the prosecutors, and has insisted that she had nothing to do with the murder of her “good friend”.

In a previous hearing Otto suggested that there was a possibility that the cyanide was poured into the coffee by the restaurant’s barista. The accusation was denied by the barista when he appeared before the court last month.

Slamet, the forensic expert who examined Mirna’s body three days after her death, supported the toxicology report, saying that the black discoloration of her stomach and esophagus clearly indicated that Mirna was poisoned using a very hazardous substance.

He added that most of Mirna’s stomach and esophagus was severely damaged and cyanide had entered her bloodstream and stopped it from supplying oxygen to her heart, lungs and brain. Slamet also pointed to the fact that Mirna’s lips had turned black despite having been embalmed.