Musi Banyuasin, KOTABARI.COM – A horrific tragedy unfolded in Lumpatan 1 Village, Sekayu District, Musi Banyuasin Regency, where four family members were found dead on Wednesday, December 20, 2023. Heri (50), his mother Masturo alias Juray (70), along with his two children, Marsel (12) and Aurel (5), fell victim to a heinous crime.
According to Director of General Criminal Investigation of South Sumatra Regional Police, Commissioner Pol M Anwar Reksowidjojo, the sole perpetrator, identified as Eeng Praza, was apprehended at his family’s residence in the Mudo Hamlet, Sekumbung Village, Tanjung Rajo District, Muaro Jambi Regency.
The revealed motive behind the murders is astonishing: a phone business investment between the perpetrator and Heri triggered this appalling tragedy. The perpetrator provided Heri with an investment capital of Rp 30 million for a phone trading business with profit-sharing.
However, when the phone sales did not yield the expected returns, the perpetrator visited the victim’s home to demand repayment. This confrontation culminated in a tragic altercation where, according to the perpetrator’s confession, the victim allegedly initiated the attack, resulting in a fatal physical confrontation that claimed the lives of the four victims.
The perpetrator’s account depicts a horrifying sequence of events. The assailant used a piece of wood to strike the victims, even involving the victim’s mother as a target. Two of the victim’s children managed to flee but were also pursued by the assailant before the perpetrator fled, taking the victim’s phone, which was later discarded into the river along with the wooden weapon.
The condition of the discovered bodies reveals an extraordinary level of brutality. From Marsel’s body found in a tragic state at the edge of the palm oil plantation to the alleged consumption of parts of the body by wild animals, all depict inhumane levels of violence.
The autopsy process conducted by the Forensic Medical Team at Hasan Palembang Bhayangkara Hospital also confirms the extent of violence experienced by the four victims.
The South Sumatra Regional Police have charged Eeng Praza under Article 338 of the Criminal Code regarding premeditated murder or Article 365 paragraph (3) of the Criminal Code regarding theft accompanied by violence for his gruesome actions.
This tragedy has deeply impacted the local community, sparking condemnation and profound concern over the brutality that unfolded within their midst.