Jakarta - An Indonesian man who confessed to murdering 11
people was sentenced to death on Monday.
The court in West Java's Depok district, just south of Jakarta,
found Verry Idham Hermansyah, better known as Ryan, guilty of
murdering Hery Santoso, who was stabbed and bludgeoned to death
before being dismembered.
The man was believed to be Ryan's last murder victim.
Santoso's body parts were discovered by the Jakarta city police in
a bag at a roadside the southern Jakarta on July 11, 2008.
The panel of judges said in their verdict that Ryan had been
convincingly and legally found guilty of committing a premeditated
murder.
Prosecutors, who had demanded the death penalty, accused Ryan of
committing sadistic and merciless crimes.
Ryan had previously confessed of murdering 10 other people and
burying their bodies behind his parents' home in East Java province.
The series of killings took place within a two-year period.
While serving in detention, Ryan wrote an autobiography, telling
stories from his childhood before he ended up in prison, his lawyer
said.
Ryan has also told reporters that he planned to release an album
of pop songs, saying he had been offered a recording contract by a
producer.
His case received intense media coverage for weeks last year. Gay
rights advocates have accused the media of an anti-homosexual
hysteria by linking the murders to the suspect's sexuality.
Police said the motive for the murders was money. The victims
included a woman and her 3-year-old daughter whom police said were
bludgeoned with a crowbar.
USA
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