The tragic case of Mirna Salihin
Mirna hugged her longtime friend, Jessica, before sitting down.
She immediately took a sip out of her Vietnamese iced coffee. And Mirna complained that the coffee tasted funny.
A minute later, she lurched her head backward and collapsed in her seat. Then she started convulsing and frothing at the mouth.
Mirna Was Newly Married
Wayan Mirna Salihin had just married the love of her life, Arief Soemarko.
The two were planning on going on their honeymoon in a few days. Mirna was born in Jakarta, Indonesia, on March 30th, 1988.
She had a twin sister named Sendy. Mirna and Sendy had a good childhood.
Mirna developed an interest in design as a teenager. In 2007, Mirna graduated high school. And she went on to study at a design college in Sydney, Australia.
Mirna was keen to find other Indonesian international students in the area. She got to know other international students, including Hani Boon and Jessica Kumala Wongso.
Mirna and Jessica Grew Close to Each Other
Mirna and Jessica quickly clicked and became best friends.
Four years later, Mirna and her friends graduated from college and went their separate ways.
Jessica stayed behind in Sydney and became a permanent resident of Australia. Mirna and her other friends returned to Indonesia. Then in 2014, Mirna visited Sydney to see her former college friends.
She caught up with Jessica. The two went to a restaurant, but they ended up having an argument there.
Jessica told Mirna about how her boyfriend didn’t treat her right. Then Mirna told Jessica that she didn’t approve of her boyfriend. She suggested that Jessica should leave the guy. That angered Jessica.
Jessica stormed off, leaving Mirna to pay for the entire bill alone.
Mirna and Jessica grew further apart from that day.
Jessica Eventually Broke up With Her Boyfriend
Jessica broke up with her boyfriend a year later.
She spiraled down into a world of depression. And she was hospitalized many times as a result. She tried to commit suicide on several occasions.
Jessica also started abusing alcohol. Her emotions went off the deep end. Then Jessica’s drinking problem resulted in her getting into a car accident. She was driving under the influence.
Jessica survived the accident, but she broke two ribs and sustained an injury to her chest. Then she lost her job afterward.
Meanwhile, Jessica couldn’t help but notice that her former friend’s life was heading in the opposite direction.
Mirna had a good job, and she was engaged and soon to be married.
Mirna Got Married To Arief
In 2015, Mirna and her boyfriend traveled to Bali to get married.This article offers free shipping on qualified Face mask products, or buy online and pick up in store today at Medical Department
The wedding was beautiful and supported by family and many friends.
Nonetheless, Jessica wasn’t invited to the wedding.
Mirna didn’t even tell her that she was getting married. Jessica only found out about it through social media. So Jessica was enraged.
A few months later, Jessica returned to Indonesia to escape the chaos in her life. She had lost her boyfriend, her friends, and her job, and crashed her car.
Australia only brought back bad memories for her.
Jessica Wanted Her Friend Back
Jessica reached out to Mirna two days after she landed in Indonesia.
She asked her if she wanted to meet up for coffee and catch up.
Mirna was apprehensive. Her husband suggested she bring another friend along for the meet-up. So Mirna invited Hani, a mutual friend of the two.
The trio agreed to meet at a coffee shop at 5 pm on January 6th, 2016.
Jessica opted to buy drinks for the group. And she arrived at the coffee shop an hour and a half earlier.
She scouted the area and then left. Jessica returned to the shop carrying three shopping bags.
Jessica walked around the shop for several minutes. Then she chose a table. At 4:15 pm, she ordered a Vietnamese iced coffee for Mirna and two cocktails for herself and Hani.
Mirna and Hani finally arrived at the coffee shop. And the friends hugged before sitting down.
Mirna Immediately Drank Her Coffee
Mirna took a sip from her iced coffee within the first minutes.
She appeared agitated right away.
Mirna began fanning herself and coughing. She complained that the coffee tasted funny. Then she gestured it to Hani and Jessica to taste it. Both declined.
Mirna lurched her head backward and collapsed in her seat. She started convulsing and frothing at the mouth.
The staff and customers who were around Mirna rushed to her aid. Meanwhile, Hani and Jessica watched in panic.
Jessica accused the coffee shop of tampering with Mirna’s coffee. The shop owner took Mirna’s drink away for later analysis.
Mirna was rushed to a nearby hospital. But she passed away upon arrival. There was evidence of bleeding in Mirna’s stomach. The police stated that cyanide was found in Mirna’s coffee and in her stomach.
The Evidence
That afternoon, the coffee shop had served ten additional cups of Vietnamese iced coffee.
None of the ten customers had any reaction or complaints about the taste.
CCTV footage showed Jessica placing her three shopping bags on the table, blocking the view of the three ordered drinks.
The clear movement of the drinks by Jessica was noted several times on the camera.
Jessica’s behavior during Mirna’s funeral was also strange. She was completely emotionless.
The investigators questioned Jessica’s former employer in Australia. He told them that Jessica had a nasty attitude, hatred, and a strong strangeness.
Jessica was capable of hurting or killing another person. She had claimed that she knew how to poison and kill someone before.
Jessica even threatened to kill her boss.
The Aftermath
On January 30th, 2016, Jessica was arrested and charged with premeditated murder. And the Australian authorities agreed to provide information on Jessica’s history on one condition.
The death penalty had to be off the table.
The report stated that Jessica attempted to take her own life four times. She also displayed threatening behavior towards colleagues.
She had a violence restriction order taken out against her by her ex-boyfriend. His car was vandalized shortly after their break up.
The authorities couldn’t find out how Jessica got hold of the cyanide. Neither was there clear evidence of her slipping the cyanide in Mirna’s coffee because the shopping bags were blocking the view.
However, Jessica’s behavior was suspicious from the moment she entered the shop. She looked upwards to search for the CCTV camera. Then she chose a faraway spot to sit.
Jessica ordered drinks for herself and her friends forty-five minutes prior. When the drinks arrived, she looked over her shoulder before placing her hand inside her handbag and over Mirna’s iced coffee.
Jessica was found guilty of murder. And she was sentenced to twenty years behind bars.
Sources: casocriminal.org, wikipedia.org, Coffeehouse Crime