An argument that escalated in Banjar City, West Java, has led to the arrest of Arthur Leigh Welohr, a 35-year-old from San Francisco. He faces allegations of beheading his father-in-law, Agus Sopiyan, who was 58 years old. The two men had business dealings together, and as their enterprise confronted obstacles, their relationship reportedly became strained.
Initial reports suggest that residents near Welohr’s home overheard an argument between him and Sopiyan. However, many dismissed it as a typical business-related disagreement. This perception changed dramatically when Welohr allegedly attacked Sopiyan with a knife. After the incident, video recordings from the location showed Sopiyan with significant injuries, his head severed from his neck. With prompt action, locals ensured Welohr was detained until the police arrived and apprehended him.
Authorities later identified Sopiyan’s decapitated body behind his home. Rizal, a member of the community, emphasized the swift nature of the argument and how many had initially perceived it as nothing serious.
Providing an update, Nandi Darmawan from Banjar Police affirmed that the investigation’s details will be shared once the process concludes. Another representative, Ali Jupri, remarked that Welohr believed his father-in-law was creating rifts in his marital life, a sentiment which might have intensified the dispute. There was a history of conflict between the two, with Welohr allegedly vandalizing Sopiyan’s home.
On the legal front, Welohr is expected to be charged as per Article 338 of Indonesia’s Penal Code, which can impose a prison term of up to 15 years for manslaughter.
This isn’t Welohr’s first brush with the law. In 2015, he was associated with an incident in San Francisco where he was accused of attacking two people with a sword. He was subsequently charged with attempted murder, but the status of that case remains undetermined.
