An Indonesian man convicted of killing 42 women and girls in ritual slayings
Police say Ahmad Suradji, 57,
lured his female victims to a sugarcane field near his home in western Indonesia.
Suradji then buried them up to the waist and strangled them before reburying their bodies with the heads pointing toward his house.
He was arrested in May 1997 following the discovery of a body in the field in Lubukpakan, a village in North Sumatra province.
Dozens of other corpses were later found nearby.
A district court found the sorcerer guilty a year later of killing 42 women and girls, between the ages 11 and 30, over an 11-year period.
He was sentenced to death.
Authorities placed Suradji in isolation on Monday, indicating that the execution could occur within days.
His lawyer, Adi Mansar, said today: “We have received formal notification that Suradji will soon be executed.
“I just met him at the prison this morning, and I think that was our last meeting.”
Many Indonesians believe in witchcraft and Suradji claimed he had the power to influence people’s futures.
The victims were believed to have been seeking his help in making their husbands or boyfriends faithful.
Suradji’s wife, Tumini, was also sentenced to death for assisting with the murders, but her sentence was later reduced to life in prison.
By: Dede Santana
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