Police say that a 20-year-old woman is the sole culprit in the suspected murder of a 19-year-old local social media star in Makassar, who was allegedly killed over his refusal to commit himself romantically with the former.
Ari Pratama, who has a sizable following thanks to his comedic sketches on Instagram and YouTube, was killed at a guesthouse in the South Sulawesi capital on Friday morning. He had spent the night with his girlfriend, identified by her initials AA, who police said stabbed Ari multiple times with a kitchen knife.
According to witnesses, Ari managed to leave his room and staggered over to the guesthouse’s reception area to ask for help. But the victim succumbed to his injuries and blood loss and died at the guesthouse.
AA, meanwhile, hid in an adjacent room, but police found and arrested her before she was able to escape the crime scene.
The suspect confessed to killing Ari over his refusal to commit to a serious relationship with her.
“After they got sexually intimate several times, the victim told the suspect that it was all a game to him,” local police spokesman Ahmad Halim said.
Police also said AA had planned to kill Ari for a while. Pending a psychological evaluation, she may be charged with premeditated murder, which is punishable by life imprisonment or the death penalty.
