Former Wife's Death: Police Officer Under Investigation for Alleged Murder

A former police officer in Medan, North Sumatra, is under investigation for alleged murder following the death of his ex-wife. The victim's family has expressed doubts about the initial conclusion of suicide and is urging authorities for a thorough reinvestigation. The father of the victim, L, identified as Sanalui Gowasa, has reported his former son-in-law, Bripda IH, a police officer at the Medan Sunggal Police Station, to the North Sumatra Regional Police (Polda Sumatera Utara) for alleged murder. The report was filed due to suspicious injuries found on the victim's body. According to the family's legal counsel, Paul Junisu Jethro Tambunan, upon the victim's body being brought to the funeral home, several injuries were observed, including bruises and cuts on the knees, which the family claims are inconsistent with a suicide scenario. The family asserts these injuries suggest the possibility of murder and are seeking an investigation under Article 458 of the Criminal Code. "The inconsistencies appeared when the body was brought to the funeral home. There were many bruises, and a cut on the knee, so the family filed a report for alleged murder as stipulated in Article 458 of the Criminal Code," said Paul while accompanying the family to file the report at the North Sumatra Regional Police on Thursday (6/8) night. Paul emphasized that the family hopes the report will open the door to clearly uncovering the cause of L's death, who was found dead from a gunshot wound in a house in the Bumi Asri Complex, Medan Helvetia District, Medan City. "We had asked for the premeditated murder article to be included, but the SPKT and Direskrimum stated that a police investigation order (SP Sidik) has been issued by the Medan City Police under Model A report. So, we hope this SP Sidik will shed light on what actually happened to L. We ask for justice for her parents and the extended family," he added. L, a 30-year-old woman, was found dead in a house in the Bumi Asri Complex, Medan Helvetia District, Medan City, on Sunday (2/8) around 3:00 PM Western Indonesian Time (WIB). The initial conclusion by the police, based on the autopsy by a team of doctors, was that L had died by suicide using her ex-husband's firearm. Her father, Sanalui Gowasa (56), is convinced his daughter did not shoot herself as stated by the police. His suspicion arose after the family directly observed the condition of the victim's body. He claimed the body had bruises on several parts of the body. Not only that, but the victim's neck also showed signs of strangulation. Sanalui suspects there was no bullet wound on his daughter's head. "Because from what we saw, there was strangulation on the neck and bruises around the eyes. And her whole body was somewhat bluish. And there was no gunshot wound as has been reported all this time, that the child committed suicide, forcibly taking her husband's pistol. That is not true," he explained. Meanwhile, the Medan City Police claim that the autopsy results on L showed no signs of violence or abuse on the victim's body. Medan City Police Chief Kombes Jean Calvijn Simanjuntak stated that these findings were based on the examination by forensic doctors who conducted the autopsy at Bhayangkara Hospital Medan. "According to the experts, first, the forensic doctor who performed the autopsy, there were no traces of violence or any marks, blunt or sharp objects, that injured the victim," he said. Forensic Doctor at Bhayangkara Hospital Medan, dr Mistar Ritonga, explained that the examination results indicated the wound suffered by the victim was a contact gunshot wound, meaning the firearm was placed directly against the head when fired. "Based on our scientific knowledge and the results of the direct examination of the victim, we found characteristics of a contact gunshot wound. This means the weapon was indeed placed directly on the victim's head or skin when fired," said Mistar at the Medan City Police, Thursday (6/8). Answering the family's doubts regarding the projectile not penetrating the victim's head, Mistar said that such a condition is medically and forensically very possible. According to him, the speed of a bullet can be reduced by various factors, including when the projectile has to pass through hard body parts like the skull. "The speed of the bullet is influenced by many factors. So, if it's moving, if there are deviations or friction with other objects, of course, its speed will slow down. So, in this case, it appears that it passed through several hard parts, bones," he explained. "From the entry wound on the right side, it actually traced the base of the skull, even causing a crack. Then it penetrated to the left side. So, its force was no longer strong enough to penetrate, so it stopped under the skin," Mistar added. Mistar also refuted the allegations of abuse made by the family. Throughout the external examination and autopsy process, he claimed to have found no signs of violence on the victim's body. "Coincidentally, based on my examination from the beginning until it started, I did not see or find any signs of violence at that time. The only marks I found there were old, brown-colored cut marks on the inner, front part of the left hand," he elaborated. He also denied the presence of strangulation marks on the victim's neck as suspected by the family. "There were no strangulation marks when we conducted the examination at that time. If there were any changes that arose, it is usually due to decomposition, for example, like rigor mortis. It turns blue, blue," he said.