A man in Bekasi has been taken into custody for murdering his wife and making it appear as if she choked on a piece of bakso (meatball).
The suspect, 25-year-old RD, had an argument with his wife, 27-year-old NAS, on May 5 in their bedroom, after she expressed her intention to leave him and take their child with her.
“The perpetrator strangled the victim and covered her face with a pillow in order to kill her. He then manipulated the crime scene to make it look like the victim had died from choking on a meatball,” Bekasi Metro Police Chief Twedi Aditya Bennyahdi said in a press conference today.
RD left the house with his child right after the murder to buy meatballs. Upon returning, he discreetly stuffed one meatball into NAS’ mouth and rumpled their bedsheet to create the impression that the victim was struggling while gasping for air.
RD returned to the bedroom later that day and pretended to be shocked upon discovering his dead wife. He contacted his father and neighbors, informing them that NAS choked on a meatball.
When the victim’s family became suspicious, they requested an autopsy on NAS. The police then conducted an autopsy and discovered bruises on NAS’ neck that indicated strangulation.
The police interrogated RD, who confessed to murdering his wife and claimed that he was upset with her constant insults.
The police have charged RD with murder under Article 338 of the Criminal Code (KUHP), which carries a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison.
