Police hold reenactment of Japanese couple’s killing in Jimbaran, Bali

Denpasar Police reconstructed a series of scenes in the killing of elderly Japanese couple that was found dead in their rented home in Jimbaran on Sept. 4.

The suspect for the murder, I Putu Astawa, 25, was made to reenact 90 scenes on Monday afternoon, that police had reconstructed, based on their investigation of the deaths of Nurio Matsuba, 76, and his 73-year-old wife Hiroko.

Crime reenactments at the actual scene are fairly routine in Indonesia for bigger, more complex cases.

“Overall, 90 reconstructed scenes were done by the perpetrator, plus some roles performed by officers. The reconstruction was carried out from the beginning when the perpetrator came to the victims’ house until the perpetrator left and returned again in the evening,” Police Chief Insp. Sudarma said, as quoted by Tribun Bali.

Of the 90 scenes, 28 were conducted at the victims’ home in the residential area of Puri Gading, Jimbaran, while the remainder included scenes where the perpetrator bought gasoline and matches and met with his wife.

“The entire reconstruction is in line with the facts found in the field and information from the suspect,” Sudarma said.

The scorched corpses of the elderly Japanese couple were found on Sept. 4 by their Indonesian foster son. The bodies, burned beyond recognition, both had stab wounds

Police previously told reporters that they believed Astawa tied up and gagged Hiroko, who was killed first, before killing her husband, using a knife he found in the house. Astawa allegedly fled the scene then later returned that evening to burn the bodies.

The couple had lived in Bali for seven years and the husband was a broker in a tuna export company, according to police, who upon arresting Astawa on Sept. 18, alleged that the murders were the result of an opportunistic robbery gone wrong.



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