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Man allegedly killed family in dispute over car loan
Praying for the deceased: Neighbors pray for three victims of a murder case at a crime scene at Taman Kota Permai housing complex in Tangerang, Banten, on Tuesday
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span class="inline inline-center">Praying for the deceased: Neighbors pray for three victims of a murder case at a crime scene at Taman Kota Permai housing complex in Tangerang, Banten, on Tuesday. The victims, a woman and her daughters, were killed at their house on Monday.(JP/Aditya Bhagas)
When Muchtar Effendi, 60, moved to a residential area in Periuk, Tangerang, Banten, a year ago, he was known as a man of few words.
None of the residents of Taman Kota Permai II residential area really knew him or how he came to meet and marry Titin Suhemah, 40, a widow with two children who had lived in the middle-class suburb for seven years.
They only knew that he ran a clothing business with her in a store near Al Azhom mosque. He usually came home after midnight.
However, neighbors frequently heard the couple arguing vociferously, so when they heard loud noises from the house at around 2 a.m. on Monday, they did not rush to the house.
“Enough, enough, oh God forgive us!” screamed Titin and her youngest daughter, Tiara, 11, as heard by the neighbors, who, hours later, found the dead bodies of Titin, Tiara and her older sister Nova, 19, inside the house.
“We thought it was just another fight and we felt awkward about interrupting,” the area’s neighborhood unit (RT) head, Pratomo, told The Jakarta Post.
People started to become suspicious when the household remained quiet all morning. Tiara missed the pick-up car that usually took her to school every day.
The driver left after knocking at the gate several times.
Pratomo and another resident, Alwanto, decided to enter the unlocked house at 3 p.m., after no one answered their calls.
When they entered the bedroom, they found Titin and her two daughters lying in each others arms on the floor in a pool of blood.
“In the other room, we found Muchtar who was still alive, lying with bloodstains on his stomach,” Pratomo told The Jakarta Post on Tuesday.
Pratomo reported the discovery to Tangerang Police, who took the bodies of the mother and her two daughters to Tangerang Public Hospital.
Muchtar was taken to Sari Asih Sangiang Hospital and Tangerang Public Hospital before being admitted to the National Police Hospital in Kramat Jati,
East Jakarta.
After being questioned by police on Tuesday, Muchtar allegedly admitted to killing his wife and his stepdaughters after refusing to pay installments for a car that Titin had bought.
The dead victims were stabbed in their stomach and necks while Muchtar suffered severe injuries to his stomach and neck, apparently as a result of a suicide attempt after the murders.
“He repeatedly apologized and prayed for God’s mercy at the hospital,” Tangerang Police chief Sr. Comr. Harry Kurniawan said.
Muchtar reportedly told police he was angry after discovering Titin had bought the car without his knowledge and the couple had become involved in an intense three-day argument, which reached its climax on Monday, Harry added.
The police have gathered evidence, such as a knife and bloody clothes and bedding, which are being examined by police forensic scientists. They also found Titin’s broken phone, which is thought to have been hidden by Muchtar in the attic.
Muchtar has been named a suspect and charged with murder under the Criminal Code.
A team of psychologists are also examining his mental state.
A criminologist from the University of Indonesia (UI), Josias Simon, said that while the murders were allegedly caused by an argument over the car purchase, the couple might have had an ongoing dispute leading up to the murders.
