Indonesian woman jailed for 20 years for poisoned-coffee murder
Jessica Kumala Wongso, an Indonesian citizen and permanent resident of Australia, gave a cyanide-laced drink to her friend at a cafe
An Indonesian court jailed a woman for 20 years on Thursday for murdering her college friend by poisoning her coffee, ending a dramatic case that gripped the country for months.
The murder was vile and sadistic because the defendant did it to her own friend
Jessica Kumala Wongso, 27, an Indonesian citizen and permanent resident of Australia, remained expressionless while hearing the verdict and sentence.
“The defendant has been proven guilty of premeditated murder,” presiding judge Kisworo said to applause from a packed courtroom without suggesting a motive. “...The murder was vile and sadistic because the defendant did it to her own friend.”
Wongso told the three-judge panel she thought the verdict was “unfair and one-sided”. Defence lawyers said she would appeal.
Prosecutors said Wongso murdered 27-year-old Wayan Mirna Salihin in January by slipping cyanide into her Vietnamese iced coffee in a cafe at one of Jakarta’s most upmarket shopping centres. The victim collapsed after consuming the drink and died shortly afterwards.
The soap opera-style tale of two members of the wealthy elite having a dramatic fallout that culminated in murder has captivated Indonesia, where it has been dubbed “the poisoned coffee” case.
It has also generated huge interest in Australia, where the women studied together at a design college.