The puzzle shadowing the Jombang murder case was completed Saturday as the police arrested the alleged killer of Fauzin Suyanto whose body was found in a sugarcane plantation in Bandar Kedungmulyo village in Sept. 2007.

The arrest of Rudi Hartono, a resident of Kediri, has wide legal implications, as Sugianto (alias Sugik) has been tried in Jombang for the murder case while two others, Imam Khambali (alias Kemat) and David Eko Priyanto, have been serving 17- and 12-year jail sentences, respectively, for the same case.

They were all charged and convicted for allegedly murdering Asrori, as the body in the plantation was initially identified, while a DNA test conducted by the National Police confirmed it belonged to Fauzin. Another DNA test revealed that Asrori's remains were among the 10 bodies found in the backyard of serial killer suspect Very Idham Henyansyah (alias Ryan).

Criminal law expert I Wayan Titib Sulaksana of Airlangga University told The Jakarta Post in Surabaya on Sunday that the arrest of Rudi was a strong indication that the police had not been professional.

He urged the fact-finding team of the National Commission on Human Rights to continue their investigation into the alleged human rights abuses during the interrogation of the three people wrongly arrested by the police.

"The case has not only affected the police but also humiliated the reputation of the Attorney General's Office and the court in general," Titib said.

Titib strongly suggested that the three people who had been wrongly accused in the murder case file a legal complaint demanding unconditional release, rehabilitation and compensation for their suffering during the investigation.

Rudi was arrested at the Sidoarjo police office when he was paying a tax on the motorcycle he had stolen from Fauzin after he had killed him.

Officials at the provincial police headquarters kept quiet regarding Rudi's arrest. Lawyers who accompanied Rudi during the preliminary interrogation however said their client had not acted alone in committing the murder and that the police were still seeking an accomplice.

The lawyers of convicted Kemat and David said they had received a report from the police confirming the arrest of Fauzin's alleged killer.

"With the arrest we hope the prosecutors will drop Sugik's case and release Kemat and David from prison. In addition, we are considering filing a complaint against the police, prosecutors and judges who were directly involved in the murder case," he said.

Dhofir and Slamet Yuwono of the O.C. Kaligis Law Firm walked out again of the Jombang District Court on Thursday in an apparent protest of the trial and said their defendant, Sugik, was facing a 15-year prison term for the death of someone he did not murder because the panel of judges had declined to accept new evidence in the case.

"The judges are questioning the defendant and all witnesses in reference to the dossier made by the Jombang Police although we have announced to the public that the police have committed a wrongful arrest in the case," he told The Post by telephone Friday.

During the previous court session on Sept. 25, the two lawyers and their team had walked out when the judges had rejected the result of the DNA test confirming that the body was not Asrori's, augmented by Ryan's confession that he was the one who had killed Asrori.

Dhofir said further that the judges' ignorance had indicated a conspiracy among law enforcers to victimize their client and Kemat and David who were now serving jail terms in Jombang Prison.

Meanwhile, Fauzin's family in Ploso village, Nganjuk, appreciated the arrest of Rudi. They expressed hope it would complete the prolonged search for Fauzin's killer.

A relative of Fauzin's, Sudarsih, said 20 other relatives had held a simple thanksgiving ceremony in Fauzin's parents' house after they had received an official letter from the Jombang Police regarding the arrest and the seizure of Fauzin's motorcycle from Rudi.

Rudi's father Sebi, a 55-year-old resident of Karangpakis village, said he had been shocked to hear the news that his son had been arrested for killing Fauzin and that his son was a transvestite.

"I don't believe Rudi is a killer because he is feminine and does not have the courage to use violence against others," Sebi said.

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