Lebak Bulus Murder: Confessions of Supernatural Whispers in Legal Cases Cannot Be Fully Accepted

JAKARTA – The murder case of a father and grandmother in Lebak Bulus last week attracted public attention, because the perpetrator was a teenager who was still 14 years old. According to police statements, the perpetrator with the initials MAS admitted to hearing supernatural whispers that prompted him to commit the heinous act.

MAS is known to have stabbed his family members at his house in the Lebak Bulus area, South Jakarta on Saturday (30/11) early morning WIB. As a result of the incident, his father, APW (40), and his grandmother, RM (69), died. Meanwhile, his mother, AP (40), was injured and is still being treated in hospital.

It did not take long for the police to arrest MAS. It is not yet known for sure what motivated MAS to stab his family. But from the police statement, he admitted to hearing supernatural whispers that triggered the heinous act.

"Yes, during the initial interrogation he felt he couldn't sleep, then there was something whispering to him, disturbing him, like that," said Head of Criminal Investigation Unit of the South Jakarta Metro Police, AKBP Gogo Galesbung.

Meanwhile, Forensic Psychologist Reza Indragiri Amriel emphasized that a thorough examination is needed to determine whether MAS actually has a special mental condition or whether the claim of mental illness is used as self-defense.

Hallucinations and Possible Mental Disorders

The experience of hearing supernatural whispers is often associated with mystical things or simply this is a disturbance of jin. In fact, according to psychologists, hearing supernatural whispers is a hallucination and can be one of the symptoms of mental disorders.

"In a cultural or spiritual context, this term is used to describe the experience of hearing voices that are considered to come from supernatural beings, spirits, or supernatural powers," said Forensic Psychiatrist, Natalia Widiasih Raharjanti.

However, in the world of psychiatry, this phenomenon can be categorized as an auditory hallucination, namely the perception of hearing a voice that feels real, even though there is no external sound source.

"Hallucinations themselves are a phenomenon of sensory disturbances that are felt by someone as if they were real, even though there is no source of stimulation in the surrounding environment," he explained.

Meanwhile, Psychiatrist Specialist Zulvia Oktanida Syarif said that a more in-depth evaluation is needed when someone claims to hear supernatural whispers. This is done to ensure whether it is really a hallucination or just an excuse.

To prove whether this is a hallucination or just an excuse, a complete psychiatric examination or mental health examination is needed. Because in many murder cases, supernatural whispers are often the reason for justifying the perpetrator's behavior.

In a number of cases related to the law, it is not uncommon for the perpetrator to claim to have heard supernatural whispers as an excuse. Before the case that made MAS a suspect, in 2017 a police officer in West Kalimantan mutilated his two children because he received supernatural whispers in the form of God's orders.

In the same year, a doctor in East Jakarta shot his wife using a firearm. In his confession, the doctor felt he received supernatural whispers to do that.

Beware of Malingering

Regarding the murder case of the father and grandmother in Lebak Bulus, forensic psychologist Reza Indragiri Amriel examined several things starting from the alleged abuse of narcotics, psychotropic drugs, and other addictive substances as well as special mental conditions.

According to Reza, it is indeed relevant to discuss the claim of whispers that were allegedly heard by criminals. Moreover, auditory hallucinations, such as MAS' claim, are recorded as the most frequent form of hallucinations conveyed by criminals.

"Clearly, it is necessary to check whether the claim about the symptoms of mental abnormalities is true or not. And whether the symptoms are part of a condition that receives dispensation as stated in Article 44 paragraph 1 of the Criminal Code," Reza told VOI.

"If so, don't forget Article 44 paragraph 2. This paragraph is often forgotten by the police, so that they unilaterally stop handling the case," he added.

Article 44 paragraph (1) states, "Anyone who commits an act that cannot be accounted for because his soul is disabled in growth or disturbed by disease, will not be punished.

Meanwhile, Article 44 paragraph (2) states that if it turns out that the act cannot be held responsible for the perpetrator because his mental development is defective or disturbed due to illness, the judge can order that the person be admitted to a mental hospital for a maximum of one year as a probationary period.

On the other hand, according to Reza, it is also necessary to be aware of the possibility of the perpetrator acting as a sick person, pretending to be sick for personal gain. This is known as malingering, whether it is full, partial, or false imputation.

"After all, every defendant basically wants to escape the law. So, the possibility of the defendant acting as a mental illness is indeed something to be aware of. It even deserves to be used as an aggravating factor, if the defendant is found guilty," he said.

The problem, said Reza, is that the Lebak Bulus case involves children in conflict with the law or ABH so that clinical circles seem reluctant to build suspicions that children can act out malingering. Because they are still very young, ABH are considered innocent, as if it is impossible for them to deceive the law.

"The same applies to examiners who conclude that ABH experienced auditory hallucinations and other abnormal mental conditions," said Reza again.

"Is there a possibility that the examiner is overestimating his assessment (malingering by proxy), thus opening up space for the perpetrator to slip through the needle's eye?" he concluded.