Jambi. The parents of Nofriansyah Yosua Hutabarat are holding out for tougher sentences for all the defendants accused of murdering their son ahead of the sentencing hearing, after expressing disappointment about the prosecution's demand.

In earlier hearings, prosecutors demanded a life sentence for disgraced police general Ferdy Sambo -- the alleged mastermind of the July 8, 2022 murder -- and prison sentences of between eight and 12 years for four other defendants, including Ferdy’s wife Putri Candrawathi.

Samuel Hutabarat, the victim’s father, has publicly demanded that Ferdy be sentenced to death.  

When visiting Yosua’s grave at his hometown of Muaro Jambi in the province of Jambi on the weekend, Samuel repeated his demand.

"I and his mother always pray ‘may our late son rejoice in His kingdom and hopefully the judges will deliver sentences that [the defendants] deserve’," Samuel said.

His wife Rosti Simanjuntak shares the will to get Ferdy in front of the firing squad. Their hatred for Ferdy has become so intense since the prime suspect threw the accusation that Yosua had raped his wife after he was grilled by investigators over the motive for the murder.

Rosti, a state elementary school teacher in Jambi, said she was disappointed with the prosecution demand for Ferdy and Putri -- the latter is facing eight years in prison.

She pointed out to prosecutors’ arguments which stated that the couple has been convincingly proven of committing premeditated murder and that in Ferdy’s case, there is no mitigating factor.

Rosti demanded the maximum punishment because not only had the couple killed her son, but they also slandered against his good name with the rape accusation.

“They have committed slander and multiple crimes. The two defendants FS and PC must get the punishment they deserve -- the death sentence for FS who is the brain behind the murder of Yosua," Rosti said, referring to both defendants by initials.

Prosecutors have ruled out the rape allegation, although they indicated that Putri might have been involved in a love affair with Yosua, who was assigned to become an assistant for Ferdy before his death.

Read More:

• Prosecutors Slam Putri for “Inventing Rape Story” in Yosua Murder Trial
• Six Ex-Officers Face Up to 3 Years in Prison for Evidence Tampering in Yosua’s Murder
• Does Security Minister Mahfud Intervene in Ferdy’s Trial? Hear What a Former Judge Says

Yosua was found dead with multiple gunshot wounds at Ferdy’s official residence in South Jakarta. The defendant has attempted to cover up the murder by claiming that Yosua was killed in a shootout with fellow officer Richard Eliezer, who is facing 12 years in prison.

Following public outrage and legal resistance from Yosua’s family, police launched a new investigation and later announced that the victim was unarmed when Richard shot him multiple times at close range on Ferdy’s order.

The police general was stripped of his duties and dishonorably discharged after an ethics tribunal by the National Police.

A separate investigation found that six officers were involved in attempts to destroy evidence and tamper with the crime scene. The obstruction of justice trial was held in tandem with the murder trial, bringing the total number of defendants in the case to 11.

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