Indonesia's 'Iced Coffee Killer' Has Become Her Country's O.J Simpson

On January 6 this year 27-year-old Wayan Mirna Salihin, along with her friend Hanie Juwita Boon, went to Cafe Olivier in Jakarta's Grand Indonesia Mall. Meeting them was another friend, Jessica Wongso. Police allege Jessica got there first, purchasing a cocktail (it was a sazerac) and a Vietnamese iced coffee. When Mirna arrived, she was handed the iced coffee. She took a sip, complained it tasted weird, then collapsed into convulsions and died. An autopsy would later find she'd been poisoned with cyanide, which investigators found high levels of in her drink.

A former Australian resident, 27-year-old Jessica Wongso has since been charged with premeditated murder, which in Indonesia carries a minimum sentence of 20 years in jail and a maximum of death. The pre-trial began this week at Central Jakarta's State Court, where prosecutors alleged Mirna's death was motivated by jealousy. Police have released only speculative information to support this theory, but that hasn't stopped Indonesia's media from going into overdrive.

Despite being on trial, Jessica has been on nearly every news show in the country

The case of the iced coffee killer has quickly become Indonesia's version of the OJ Simpson trial. There are memes and hashtags, and an endless stream of non-verifiable updates and theories. Thanks to unending coverage, I even know what Jessica ate for lunch on February 9 in the lead-up to her trail: She had an omelette with sautéed beans.

As far as the media can discern Jessica and Mirna were either lovers, or they shared a boyfriend who Mirna had recently married. They had attended the Billy Blue College of Design in Sydney together until Mirna returned to Indonesia last year. Jessica had remained in Sydney and was visiting Jakarta at the time of Mirna's death. Indonesia has formally requested assistance from the Australian Federal Police to investigate Jessica's movements in the weeks leading up to the incident.

Proponents of the fatal love-triangle theory point to a Whatsapp conversation found on Mirna's phone. "Mirna give me a kiss," is a loose translation of a message allegedly written by Jessica. "You haven't kissed me for a long time." According to her father, Mirna had been in a relationship with her husband for eight years. He also disclosed that Jessica had been eliminated from his daughter's wedding list but did not say why.

Back at Café Olivier, business has picked up. Asthe Jakarta Post observed, "Customers come and go, taking it in turns to sit at table number 54, the table that bears witness to the last conversation between Mirna and her two companions."

And this is how I ended up there myself. The café was full but not as packed as I'd expected it to be. With all the tables occupied (including table 54) I was seated at the bar. None of the waiters would speak with me at first. "It's been taken care of," said one. "Don't worry about it."

I struck up a conversation with a woman sitting next to me named Sari. "Me and my friends immediately wanted to get our hands on a Vietnamese coffee," she explained when I asked why she'd come. "Not that we are generally interested in coffee, but we suddenly were after the incident."

A bartender also eventually answered some questions under the condition of anonymity. He thought that while the death had brought in some, it had also scared others off. "It's a pro/con kind of thing," he said.

I tried to get some photos of table 54 but was asked to leave. The whole restaurant had been dealing with people like me for two months and they'd clearly had enough. But I won't be last curious visitor. This case has everyone talking and the end is nowhere in sight. In the meantime the police continue leaking evidence to keep the wheels turning, and the media churns out more reports on how much weight Jessica has lost in jail.

I left, as requested, and took some pictures from outside.

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