Woman, Who Poisoned Friend's Coffee With Cyanide In 2016, Denies Being Close
Jessica Wongso, the woman convicted of poisoning her 27-year-old friend's coffee in 2016, has been released from prison after eight years. Named the Iced Coffee Killer, Wongso, a permanent resident of Australia, has denied being close to Wayan Mirna Salihin, whom she met at a design college in Sydney, Australia.
She also avoided directly answering whether she was responsible for her death. At her press conference, she said she had forgiven everyone who wronged her, reported ABC Australia.
She claimed that the two weren't best friends and were just from the same country. After graduation, Ms Salihin went back to Indonesia, while Wongso stayed back, she said.
According to the Times, Wongso allegedly arrived at the cafe first, placed shopping bags on the table to block the view of CCTV footage, and then ordered drinks for Ms Salihin and another friend. During the interview, she defended her behaviour, saying she was simply bored and liked to shuffle and play with them.
"Oh, it's just me being me. I just put it there, shuffle it and play with it. It really doesn't mean anything at all... just me being bored," she stated.
Wongso said that Ms Salihin found the coffee tasted weird and soon became sick. Recalling the moment, she said, "I think she [Ms Salihin] just took a sip and after that, she was saying something like, it tastes really weird and stuff, and after that, she got really sick. And that's it. That's pretty much all I remember," reported PEOPLE.
When asked about the murder, she said there were so many things she was not allowed to discuss publicly, including whether she killed her friend. Asked if someone else did it, Wongso simply responded, "Maybe."
According to PEOPLE, just when Ms Salihin took a sip of coffee, she immediately collapsed. She was taken to the hospital, where she was pronounced dead.
Wongso was arrested in 2018 after she was found guilty of slipping cyanide into Ms Salihin's Vietnamese coffee at a cafe. She was sentenced to 20 years in prison but was released in 2024 on the condition that she would stay in Jakarta until 2032.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Hindustan Times
4 hours ago
- Hindustan Times
Abrego Garcia due in US court on migrant smuggling charges after wrongful deportation
NASHVILLE, Tennessee -Kilmar Abrego Garcia, the migrant returned to the U.S. last week after being wrongfully deported to his native El Salvador, is due in court on Friday to enter a plea to criminal charges of taking part in a conspiracy to smuggle migrants into the United States. President Donald Trump's administration has portrayed the indictment of Abrego Garcia, 29, as vindication of its aggressive crackdown on illegal immigration. Before Abrego Garcia's indictment was unsealed on June 5, officials alleged he was a member of the MS-13 gang and said they would not bring him back. The Justice Department's decision to return him to the U.S. to face criminal charges is a potential off-ramp for Trump's administration from its escalating confrontation with the judiciary over whether it complied with a court order to facilitate Abrego Garcia's return. The Republican president's critics say his swift removal without a hearing showed the administration prioritized increased deportations over due process, the bedrock principle that people in the U.S., whether citizens or not, can contest governmental actions against them in the courts. The criminal proceeding will provide Abrego Garcia with due process by giving him the right to contest the charges contained in a grand jury indictment returned in secret on May 21. Still, his lawyers say his return to face criminal charges does not absolve the Trump administration of responsibility for wrongfully deporting him. Abrego Garcia's hearing on the criminal charges is scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. CDT before U.S. Magistrate Judge Barbara Holmes in Nashville, Tennessee. In addition to entering his plea, Abrego Garcia is expected to contest a bid by federal prosecutors to have him detained pending trial. In the indictment, Abrego Garcia was charged with working with at least five co-conspirators as part of a smuggling ring to bring immigrants to the United States illegally, then transport them from the U.S.-Mexico border to destinations across the country. Abrego Garcia often picked up migrants in Houston, making more than 100 trips between Texas and Maryland between 2016 and 2025, the indictment alleges. Abrego Garcia is also accused of transporting firearms and drugs. 'ADMINISTRATIVE ERROR' Prosecutors say Abrego Garcia, a Maryland resident whose wife and young child are U.S. citizens, could face 10 years in prison for each migrant he smuggled. That means he could spend the rest of his life in prison if convicted, according to prosecutors. They are urging he be detained, saying the potentially hefty sentence means he may try to flee. They also say detention is warranted because he allegedly murdered a rival gang member's mother in El Salvador and solicited child pornography, though those accusations are not part of his indictment. Abrego Garcia's lawyers have called the charges "fantastical" and deny that he is a flight risk. Abrego Garcia was deported on March 15 to El Salvador, despite a 2019 immigration court ruling that he not be sent there because he could be persecuted by gangs. Officials called his removal an "administrative error." In a separate civil case, Greenbelt, Maryland-based U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis is investigating whether the Trump administration violated her order to facilitate Abrego Garcia's return from El Salvador. The U.S. Supreme Court unanimously upheld that order. Abrego Garcia's lawyers are urging Xinis to hold administration officials in contempt and impose fines for stonewalling their requests for information about the steps the administration took to facilitate his return. The Trump administration says Xinis should drop her probe because it complied with her order by deciding to bring Abrego Garcia back to face criminal charges. His lawyers disagree and say that for the administration to be in compliance, his immigration case must be handled as it would have been had he not been deported.
&w=3840&q=100)
First Post
13 hours ago
- First Post
FirstUp: Swedish Prime Minister to meet Nato chief and other headlines of the day
Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson is set to meet Nato head Mark Rutte today in Stockholm. Meanwhile, a UK court will begin a trial of former Conservative MP Craig Williams, along with 14 others, in connection with gambling offences during the national election last year. In India, a special task force is likely to begin functioning in Karnataka from today to fight communal violence read more Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson and Nato Secretary General Mark Rutte met shortly after the latter took charge. File image/AFP It is set to be a busy Friday with several events lined up for the day. Firstly, Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson is set to meet Nato head Mark Rutte today in Stockholm. Meanwhile, a court will begin trial for 15 individuals, including former Conservative MP Craig Williams, in connection to gambling offences during the national election last year. Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh is set to visit Sweden today to hold bilateral meetings with several leaders. In India, a special task force is likely to begin functioning today to fight communal violence. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Here is all that is set to take place throughout the day. Swedish PM to meet Nato head Mark Rutte Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson will host Nato Secretary General Mark Rutte for a bilateral meeting in Stockholm. The high-level engagement will be followed by a joint press conference. According to reports, discussions are expected to focus on strengthening Nato's collective deterrence and defence capabilities, particularly in light of the evolving security landscape in Europe. Both leaders will likely address Sweden's contributions to the Alliance, which include plans to further increase defence spending and an offer to lead a new Nato battlegroup to be established in Finland. The meeting comes at a crucial time, with Sweden having recently become a full member of Nato in March 2024. The first court hearing in connection with charges related to the UK general election betting scandal will take place today. Fifteen individuals, including former Conservative MP Craig Williams and Welsh Senedd member Russell George, are scheduled to appear at Westminster Magistrates' Court. Conservative Party candidate Craig Williams speaks has been charged alongside 14 others with gambling offences. File image/Reuters The Gambling Commission launched an investigation in June 2024 into these alleged 'cheating' offences under Section 42 of the Gambling Act 2005. The charges suggest that individuals with insider knowledge placed bets on the timing of the 2024 general election before the date was publicly announced by then-Prime Minister Rishi Sunak. While political betting is legal in the UK, using insider information for such wagers is a criminal offence. The UK's gambling regulator filed a chargesheet against the individuals on April 16 this year. The scandal cast a significant shadow over the Conservative Party's election campaign and has prompted renewed debate about the ethics of political betting and the need for stricter regulations. If found guilty, those charged could face fines or prison sentences of up to two years. Vietnamese Prime Minister set to visit Sweden Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh will meet Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson along with members of the Swedish Royal Family today. Pham Minh Chinh is on a two-day visit to Sweden and has been present in the country since Wednesday (June 11). The visit, marking the first by a Vietnamese Prime Minister to Sweden in six years, is a significant event aimed at injecting new momentum into the bilateral relationship between the two nations. Discussions with the Swedish PM will likely cover deepening collaboration in key areas such as politics, diplomacy, trade, investment, science and technology, innovation, digital transformation, environmental issues and climate change response. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Karnataka's Special Task Force to likely begin The special task force formed to tackle communal violence will begin from June 13. Home Minister Dr G Parameshwara is likely to launch the task force. According to an itinerary of the district minister, the special action force will be inaugurated at the Mangaluru Police Commissioner's office. According to a Deccan Herald report, the force will have three companies or units, which will be set up in DK, Shimoga and Udupi districts. The government order issued on May 28 stated that 248 officers, including a senior DIGP, will be a part of this force. These officers have been allotted by the Anti-Naxal Force. With inputs from agencies
Hindustan Times
a day ago
- Hindustan Times
Abrego Garcia seeks sanctions against Trump administration in wrongful deportation case
* Lawyers for wrongly deported man say US agencies have provided no meaningful information * Abrego Garcia returned to US to face migrant smuggling charges WASHINGTON, - Kilmar Abrego Garcia, the man wrongly deported from Maryland to El Salvador before being returned to the United States on migrant smuggling charges, is seeking sanctions against the Trump administration for allegedly stonewalling an inquiry into efforts to secure his return. The case has become a flashpoint over President Donald Trump's hardline immigration policies. Critics have held it up as an example of the administration's willingness to deny due process and evade court orders in its push to deport migrants. Lawyers for Abrego Garcia argued in a court filing late on Wednesday that a judge should punish the federal government for failing to provide meaningful information about steps U.S. agencies took to comply with court orders to facilitate Abrego Garcia's return to the U.S. 'The Government's defiance has not been subtle. It has been vocal and sustained and flagrant,' Abrego Garcia's lawyers wrote in the filing. The filing asked U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis to conclude that the Trump administration did not take all available steps to bring about his return. It also seeks an unspecified sum in fines and to compel U.S. officials to turn over documents they have previously withheld, citing legal privileges. Spokespeople from the U.S. Justice Department and Department of Homeland Security did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the filing. The Trump administration has argued it satisfied court orders by bringing Abrego Garcia to Tennessee last week to face a federal criminal indictment accusing him of transporting migrants living in the U.S. illegally to destinations around the country. Abrego Garcia's lawyers have denounced the charges as 'fantastical' and argued that the indictment should not end a separate lawsuit over his wrongful deportation in March. Abrego Garcia is set to appear for a detention hearing in the criminal case on Friday. The Trump administration has accused Abrego Garcia of being a member of the MS-13 street gang, a charge his lawyers deny. The U.S. Supreme Court ordered the Trump administration to facilitate Abrego Garcia's return after U.S. officials conceded he was mistakenly deported to his native El Salvador despite a prior court order barring him from being returned there. Administration officials initially said they had no way to compel El Salvador to return Abrego Garcia, who had been held in a Salvadorian prison, to U.S. custody. Xinis, who is presiding over the lawsuit, rejected those arguments and in April allowed Abrego Garcia's lawyers to question U.S. officials and seek documents on any steps the Trump administration had taken to secure his return. The Trump administration raised several legal privileges, arguing it did not have to divulge information that could impact U.S. national security or complicate diplomatic negotiations.
