T

he four men accused of murdering a Bina Nusantara University student should only be sentenced to 15 years’ imprisonment since their gruesome crime was not premeditated, according to their lawyer.

Completing his summation, defense attorney Restu Sri Utomo told the West Jakarta District Court on Tuesday to consider that his clients did not bring any “special tools” to kill 20-year-old Livia Pavita Soelistiyo in August.

The defendants — Irwan Soleh, 22, Rohman Setiawan, 20; Muhammad Fahri, 19; and Apriyadi, 22 — have been accused of allegedly robbing Livia on a public minivan, fatally strangling her using two ropes found inside the vehicle and raping her remains before dumping her body in Cisauk, Tangerang.

“My clients only intended to rob Livia of her cellular phones and cash. It was not until the victim screamed and tried to escape from the minivan that my clients killed her. My clients panicked,” he told the trial, presided over by judge Sigit Hariyanto.

Restu, appointed by the court to defend the accused, said his clients might be guilty of killing Livia, but should not have been charged with premeditated murder.

Prosecutors have demanded that the court sentence the men to life imprisonment for premeditated murder and robbery.

However, members of Livia’s family, who were not in the courtroom on Tuesday, said that they wanted the court to order the defendants executed.

Livia hopped into a public minivan plying the Srengseng–Kebon Jeruk route around 2 p.m. on Aug. 16 to go to class on Bina Nusantara University’s campus in Rawabelong, West Jakarta. It was the last time her family members saw Livia alive. Her body was found on Aug. 23 in a drain.

Yuli, a relative of Fahri, hoped that the 19-year-old would receive a lenient sentence.

“He just followed the other men. He’s just a young man who doesn’t know about the consequences of his crime,” she said.

Livia’s case was one of a several crimes involving public minivans reported in Greater Jakarta in the last several months.

As part of one such case, the Depok District Court sentenced M. Saat Dalimunte to 10 years’ imprisonment on Monday for assaulting a woman on a minivan on her way to a traditional market in Depok at 3 a.m. on Dec. 14.

Judges are expected to hand down a verdict in Livia’s case within three weeks.