By Indonesia Correspondent Adam Harvey
An Australian resident accused of poisoning her friend in a Jakarta cafe may have been acting out of jealousy, says a consultant to the Indonesian police investigation.
Forensic hypnotist Kirdi Putra has interviewed the accused woman Jessica Wongso and other key figures in a murder case that has captivated Indonesia.
Wongso is accused of murdering her 27-year-old friend Mirna Salihin by pouring cyanide in her Vietnamese iced coffee at a popular Jakarta cafe.
The pair met while studying at Sydney’s Billy Blue College of Design.
According to Mr Putra, they then drifted apart and did not see each other for at least five years.
In that time, some of Jessica’s friends became closer to Ms Salihin, and late last year Ms Salihin married in Bali.
Wongso was not at the wedding.
“A possible motive is some kind of jealousy and revenge,” Mr Putra told 7.30.
“First, her friends get taken away, second one, (Mirna) got a better life than (Jessica’s) life — that could be a motive.”
“It’s not quite strong enough, that’s why I ask the police to check Jessica’s psychological profile to understand more.”
Mr Putra has also examined instant messages sent between the pair and interviewed friends of both women and Ms Salihin’s grieving husband.
He said there was no evidence supporting the rampant and uninformed speculation in Indonesia that the women were lovers.
“I don’t see any supporting materials on their conversations in WhatsApp (an instant messaging service) or their gestures … or based on information gathered by her husband and friends,” he told 7.30.