Man accused of raping woman and killing her 9-year-old son dies in jail

A man in Aceh who was facing at least 20 years for the rape of a woman and the murder of her son was found dead in his cell, but questions surrounding cause of death may remain unanswered.

Related — Aceh man faces 20 years in prison for suspected rape of woman and murder of her son 

Samsul, 41 (previously reported as 35), died on Saturday evening in his cell. Police in Langsa, East Aceh said that before his death, he was hospitalized for an unknown respiratory problem.

“His cellmate said [Samsul] refused to eat and drink [in detention],” Langsa Police Crime Investigation Unit Head Arief Sukmo Wibowo said.

Samsul was discharged from the hospital but complained about breathing problems again prior to being found dead in his cell on Saturday evening.

Samsul’s body was immediately buried as his family refused for authorities to conduct an autopsy to determine his cause of death. 

Under Indonesian law, family objection plays a huge role in determining whether an autopsy can be legally carried out on a victim, and it’s not uncommon for families to refuse autopsies on members who bring shame to them.

According to local police, on Oct. 9, Samsul broke into a house where a woman and her 9-year-old son were sleeping.

Samsul then raped the woman. When the boy woke up after hearing his mother’s struggles, he tried to attack Samsul. Sadly, Samsul hacked the boy numerous times with a machete, killing him.

Samsul fled the house and took the boy’s body with him as he went into hiding. A couple of days later, the police located Samsul, who swung his machete at police officers to resist arrest. The officers shot him in the legs three times and made an arrest.

The boy’s body, which was full of hack wounds from Samsul’s machete, was recovered by a river near his home.

Samsul previously received an 18-year sentence for murder. However, 15 years into his sentence, he became one among the thousands of prisoners who were recently granted early release as the government sought to prevent coronavirus infections in the country’s overcrowded prisons.