An Indonesian man may face up to 20 years in prison for premeditated murder, allegedly spurred by a truly warped idea of spousal commitment.
Hori bin Suwari, 43, from Lumajang, East Java was arrested this week for the murder of a 34-year-old man named Muhammad Toha. According to the police, Hori’s journey towards the jail cell began last year when he borrowed IDR250 million (US$17,500) from a 40-year-old lender named Hartono and put up his wife as collateral — as in, he sold her to be Hartono’s wife.
About a year after borrowing the money, Hori offered to give Hartono a piece of land to pay off his debt and take back his wife, but the lender refused, demanding cash.
“The suspect confessed that the murder was premeditated so that his debt would disappear, as well as getting back his wife who he had pawned off,” Lumajang Police Crime Investigation Unit Head Hasan Cobra said in a press release, as picked up by Kumparan yesterday.
While the murder may have been premeditated, Hori said he mistook Toha, who apparently looks like Hartono, and killed him with a machete. The police don’t believe that Toha had any direct involvement in the conflict between Hori and Hartono.
“The suspect faces a prison sentence of up to 20 years for premeditated murder in accordance to Article 340 of the KUHP (Criminal Code),” Hasan said.
People have been given the death penalty after being convicted of premeditated murder in the past in Indonesia.
Reader Interactions