Stevani Wijaya, Jakarta – The South Jakarta Court on Tuesday convicted the fourth defendant in the murder of policeman Nofriansyah Yosua Hutabarat and sentenced him to 13 years in prison, the most lenient punishment so far in the high-profile trial which saw a former police general sentenced to death.

Ricky Rizal, a former police brigadier, was found guilty of assisting the murder on the order of Ferdy Sambo, who is now a death row convict.

The panel of judges said Ricky has failed to report to authorities when Ferdy told him about the plot to murder fellow officer Yosua, allegedly because the victim had harassed Ferdy's wife.

The defendant took away Yosua's guns and witnessed in person when the victim was shot multiple times inside Ferdy's official residence in South Jakarta on July 8 last year, the court heard.

"The defendant has twisted words until cross-examinations were concluded, complicating the court hearings," presiding judge Wahyu Iman Santoso said when reading out the verdict.

The judge added that Ricky's criminal conduct has damaged the reputation of the National Police.

Prosecutors had earlier demanded a prison sentence of eight years for Ricky, who like Yosua was assigned as assistant to Ferdy, then was the head of the National Police's profession and security division.

Ricky said he will appeal the verdict to the Jakarta High Court. "I never had the intention to murder Yosua," he told reporters after the sentencing hearing.

The fifth and last defendant tied to the murder is former policeman Richard Eliezer, who prosecutors said had shot the victim multiple times on Ferdy's order. Richard will hear his verdict on Wednesday.

Source: https://jakartaglobe.id/news/fourth-defendant-in-cop-murder-trial-gets-13-years-in-priso