The Raba Bima Court has sentenced Pedelius Asman to death for his role in the rape and murder of a 10-year-old girl in Bima city, West Nusa Tenggara (NTB) last year.
Related — 10-year-old girl left at home alone found dead in West Nusa Tenggara
“The defendant, Pedelius Asman, is sentenced to death,” presiding judge Haris Tewa said yesterday, as he delivered Pedelius’ guilty verdict.
The final sentence was heavier than what prosecutors previously sought, which was lifetime in prison.
The child victim was found hanging from a rope that was tied to the ventilation frame of one of the rooms at a boarding house (kost) last May. The incident occurred while her parents and other siblings were away, and she was left at the kost with her youngest sibling.
Thirty-seven-year-old Pedelius had lived in the same kost and was reportedly a distant relative of the victim’s family. He was arrested that same month after the victim’s youngest sibling, who was an eyewitness, provided a statement. Furthermore, authorities also found wounds and evidence of sexual assault in the victim’s body.
