4. The Grim Reaper

The room hosting Warih’s initial review hearing buzzed with sudden commotion. Togi Johanes Purba, the legal representative for Warih, swiftly rose from his seat. Cradling a cell phone in his hand, he approached Warih with purpose. With a gentle touch, he inserted earphone into Warih’s ears, granting the old man the opportunity to once more delve into the enchanting melody of “Kicir-kicir.”

After ensuring that Warih was no longer attuned to his words, Togi then directed his gaze towards the panel of judges with an air of politeness.

“Your Honor, I appreciate your consideration in permitting my client to abstain from hearing the portion that consistently elicits his most intense reactions,” he expressed gratefully.

“Mr. Warih still refuses to hear the details about the discovery of his daughter?” questioned the second judge, Damar Hardi. His eyebrow arching before he looked at Togi.

“Yes, Your Honor,” Togi responded with a somber intensity in his gaze. “As per my understanding, my client has consistently fainted and screamed hysterically each time he’s been exposed to this information. There have been occasions where sedation was necessary. Thus, I am sincerely appreciative that this time, Your Honor has granted permission for my client to be spared from the distressing details.”

The three judges nodded in unison, granting permission for Togi to return to his seat. Within moments, Judge Damar Hadi extended an invitation to Yudi Suhendi from the Public Prosecutor’s side to continue presenting the autopsy results of Kemala Fatimah, a presentation that had momentarily paused. With a composed demeanor, the prosecutor reopened the file sheet in his hand — drawing in a deep breath before resuming the proceedings.

“Here, it is documented that Kemala Fatimah, also known as Mala, was ultimately discovered on May 17, 1998—four days after her disappearance—around six in the morning in the Kali Angke area, West Jakarta,” declared Prosecutor Yudi Suhendi. His eyes scanning the document on his desk. 

“The victim was found dead by local residents who felt uneasy due to the foul odor in the river. The victim’s body was discovered at the bottom of a mound of earth and had been covered by a pile of garbage that had clogged the river for days.”

“When discovered, the victim’s body lay face down, unclothed, having entered the stage of decomposition. Apart from severe bloating, a viscous black liquid, identified as motor engine oil, coated her face. The body bore 17 bruises across various areas and a skull fracture.”

“The results of the initial autopsy on May 17, 1998, indicated that the victim had been subjected to repeated sexual assault by an individual, resulting in severe injuries, including a skull fracture. Allegations suggest that the victim’s head was violently struck against the asphalt of the road, leading to her death from hypoxia after being promptly thrown into the river and carried away. These findings constitute the autopsy results for Kemala Fatimah.”

From his elevated seat on the judge’s bench, Judge Damar Hardi shattered the hushed atmosphere in the courtroom with a sudden exclamation.

“Prosecutor,” he inquired, his tone measured yet insistent, “could you please recite the findings of the second autopsy carried out by the victim’s father at that time? I understand you have the results, correct?”

“Yes, Your Honor, but this follow-up autopsy report doesn’t hold the weight of an official document from the initial trial,” Yudi responded, his manner uneasy. “There were numerous flaws in how the second autopsy was carried out.”

“I heard about that as well,” said Damar. “They claim the outcomes of the second autopsy are deemed unreliable for numerous reasons, but… lately, I caught wind of a discussion among a cluster of forensic doctors who scrutinized the conclusions from Kemala Fatimah’s initial autopsy alongside those from the subsequent one. It’s intriguing. Wouldn’t it be beneficial if this was also presented in this hearing as a potential supplement?”

Yudi Suhendi fell into a contemplative silence. Shortly after, the prosecutor flipped through one sheet after another in his stack of documents and promptly cleared his throat.

“On May 20,” Yudi began, “the victim’s father arranged for a subsequent autopsy at his own cost. This took place after the victim’s burial on May 18, 1998. Consequently, the victim’s grave had to be reopened for this secondary examination.”

“The findings from this subsequent autopsy indicated that the victim’s demise wasn’t due to hypoxia, as her lungs were found to be dry. This implies… she didn’t perish from drowning or being swept away by the water. Instead, it was affirmed that the cause of death was massive bleeding in her internal abdominal cavity.”

“There were scorch marks on the lips of the uterus… suspected to be the outcome of repeated cigarette strokes. Indeed… two clove-type cigarette butts were discovered in the vicinity near the uterine opening.”

“At least seven different sperm were also found in the uterus area … which indicates that … it is likely that there were at least seven perpetrators. Then…the uterus was also torn by an object suspected to be a drink bottle. This is suspected to have caused the victim’s quick death.”

Yudi Suhendi paused briefly with a bitter look on his face, as the audience roared from their seats.

“The findings from this second autopsy were dismissed during the initial trial in 1998 – on the grounds that the party conducting the second autopsy was deemed to have erred in the autopsy procedure,” he continued. “Nevertheless, we intend to summon our forensic experts to elucidate the reasons behind the rejection of the second autopsy during the initial hearing.”

The judge nodded and shifted his gaze to Togi. He then gestured with his finger to alert Warih’s legal counsel.

“Could Mr. Warih’s earphones be taken off, perhaps?” inquired Judge Damar Hadi, directing his attention towards Togi. “I have a few questions for Mr. Warih.”

Togi nodded and promptly executed the judge’s orders. As soon as the earphones were lifted from Warih’s ears, the judge cast a sharp gaze in Warih’s direction.

“Mr. Warih, before this, you said someone told you on May 15 that a young man named Fadli was seen with the victim on the night she disappeared. What happened after that?”

“Fadli?” Warih repeated with a flat expression. “Babe Rusdi, my neighbor at the time, and I spent the entire day searching for him. Perhaps, after we questioned a group of troublesome boys in my area, Fadli got frightened and didn’t return home.”

“We went to Fadli’s parents at that time to inform them about Mr. Endi’s statement that … Fadli might have been with my child on the night my child disappeared,” he continued.

“When we first spoke to Fadli’s parents, they appeared receptive to Babe Rusdi and me, willing to cooperate regarding Fadli. However, when Mala’s body was discovered, and the situation in my area erupted into chaos, Fadli’s family’s attitude underwent a sudden change.”

“What do you mean by ‘change’ in this context?” asked Judge Soetardjo, his curiosity piqued.

“They suddenly didn’t want to cooperate with me regarding Fadli and instead continued to defend their son, whom they usually don’t care about,” Warih replied. “In fact, at that time, the others and I just wanted to confirm the truth of the information from Mr. Endi. We had never accused Fadli at all, but… they suddenly didn’t stop attacking me in front of the other people.”

“His parents claimed that due to me, Fadli became frightened, because of my actions, their family became the subject of gossip and ridicule in the community. They also asserted that I was a drug user and had been witnessed abusing my daughter. Consequently, they suggested that perhaps Mala ran away because she was mistreated by me. This might have been the initial reason why the police, at that time, focused their attention on me regarding my daughter’s death.”

“What led you to think in that manner?”

“Because this statement was made by Fadli’s parents on the evening of the 18th when the police were visiting my house – precisely after my child’s funeral – to gather additional information from me,” Warih replied with a bitter gaze. “What I didn’t expect was for this to suddenly escalate. Just one day after I conducted the second autopsy on my child’s body, I was suddenly declared a suspect.”

“So, that would be on the 21st?”

“Yes, on the day President Soeharto stepped down,” Warih replied. “Due to the prolonged focus on the news about President Soeharto, some media outlets that had initially aimed to highlight my case might have overlooked it. On May 21, I was promptly taken to Sambora Police Station, and since then, I have never returned home.”

The courtroom atmosphere lapsed back into silence until Prosecutor Yudi activated the microphone on his desk to address Warih.

“Mr. Warih, there are several points from the initial police investigation that led to you being considered a suspect. Some of them include… you were reportedly witnessed publicly beating your daughter, and there was a concerning incident where your daughter seemingly suffered an injury to her groin.”

“Unfortunately, during your questioning as a suspect and throughout the initial trial,” continued Prosecutor Yudi, “you consistently remained silent, refusing to provide any answers. I will attempt to pose the question again now, as I find it quite perplexing. An injury to your daughter’s groin two months before her death… how did that occur?”

Warih caught his breath. “My daughter – Mala – was experiencing her first menstrual period. Perhaps feeling embarrassed to confide in me or anyone else, she attempted to learn how to use menstrual pad on her own in the bathroom.”

“I didn’t fully understand what had happened, but suddenly she mentioned slipping with her legs spread wide. Consequently, she sustained a severe injury. I attempted to assist her, but Mala fled from the house, limping, and seemed apprehensive about me approaching her. Perhaps she felt embarrassed when I noticed there was blood on her pants.”

“Due to my daughter’s behavior, I became the target of gossip. Speculations arose that I might have molested my daughter. Fortunately, as a couple of my neighbors knew me well and Mala gradually returned to normal, the rumors swiftly subsided.”

“I don’t understand how and why this was brought up during the trial in a manner that painted me into a corner. Simply because of that incident and the fact that they had witnessed me beating my daughter… I found myself accused of being a sexual assailant and of having abused my daughter to the point of her death.”

Yudi continued to stare at Warih. “However, is it accurate that you were involved in drugs and physically harmed your daughter in front of numerous people due to being under the influence of drugs?”

This time, Warih abruptly fell silent and gazed directly at Yudi without blinking. A profound sense of sorrow enveloped him as he recalled the painful memory.

“Yes, I did beat my daughter because of drugs,” he replied later, surprisingly. “I didn’t beat her because I was under the influence of drugs, but because she stole… to stop me from doing drugs. It remains one of the things I regret the most in this world… and one that I am deeply ashamed of as a father.”