Serial killer Ryan facing death penalty: police

National Police spokesman Abubakar Nataprawira said on Monday Verry Idham Henryansah alias Ryan, the main suspect in a serial killing and mutilation case, may face the death penalty.

He said the suspect would be prosecuted on charges of breaching article 340 of the Criminal Code which was punishable by 20 years in jail, life or death.

"I think, the element of premeditation exists in the case. It is impossible for him to kill ten people if he had not planned it," the police spokesman said.

Nataprawira said besides article 340, Ryan had also breached article 339 of the Criminal Code on murder accompanied by other crimes. This article carried a punishment of up to 15 years in jail.

He said because the crimes occurred in two places -- Jakarta and Jombang district in East Java -- the investigations would be carried out by police of the two provinces.

"The mutilation case will be handled by the Jakarta police because it happened in South Jakarta while the serial murders case will be tackled by the East Java police because they took place in Jombang," Nataprawira said.

Police on Monday discovered six more bodies in the backyard of mutilation murder suspect Verry Idam Henyansyah's childhood home in Jatiwates, Jombang, East Java.

The new finding on Monday raised the number of people allegedly murdered by Verry (better known as Ryan), 30, at his parents' house to 10, not including Heri Santoso, 40, who was murdered and mutilated at the Margonda Garden Residence in Depok, West Jakarta, on July 11, 2008.

Police said there were still six more unrecovered bodies claimed to have been buried in the backyard.

If the police information is accurate, the total number of victims murdered by Verry could have jumped to 17, including a Caucasian as has been confirmed by the police's autopsy reports.

East Java Police crime investigation unit director Sr. Comr. Rusli Nasution said his subordinates were still expanding the case and inspecting the area around Verry's parents' house.

"Today we found only six more bodies. The six bodies, which include two women, were not mutilated as they died after being hit by a dagger or rocks in the back of their heads," Rusli told The Jakarta Post amid the digging work in Jombang.