Jakarta. A key witness whose testimonies led to the conviction of eight suspects in the deaths of Vina Dewi Arsita and her boyfriend Muhammad Rizky Rudiana in Cirebon nearly eight years ago has admitted to making false statements, alleging that the murder case could have been fabricated by the father of one of the deceased.

Rizky is the son of a local policeman, First Inspector Rudiana, who has been involved in the investigation since the beginning and arrested several suspects for allegedly murdering the couple.

All eight convicts, seven of whom are serving life imprisonment, have recently retracted their police statements and claimed they were tortured by Rizky’s father, Rudiana, who allegedly forced them to confess to the murder.

Earlier this week, one of the convicts filed a police complaint against Rudiana, alleging torture.

The officer is now under scrutiny after Dede Riswanto, a key witness in the case, revealed that he was instructed by Rudiana to falsely identify the murder suspects by name and even mention the brands of motorcycles used by the suspects as if he had witnessed them chasing the couple prior to their deaths.

The bodies of Vina and Rizky, both 16 years old, were discovered on an elevated road in Cirebon on August 28, 2016.

The defense team of the convicts has argued that the couple could have died from a motorcycle crash, not murder, based on an initial investigation by the traffic police.

However, a subsequent police investigation, allegedly influenced by Rudiana, claimed that Vina was gang-raped by members of a motorcycle gang before she and her boyfriend were brutally murdered.

The court hearings were held behind closed doors due to the graphic nature of the case, and all eight convicts were found guilty of premeditated murder and rape. An underage convict was sentenced to eight years in prison, while the rest received life imprisonment. The ninth and last suspect was arrested in June but was recently cleared of all charges by the court in his pre-trial motion.

In a YouTube video posted on Sunday, Dede expressed remorse and apologized to the convicts who were imprisoned because of his false testimonies.

“I’m so sorry for the eight convicts who have been imprisoned,” Dede said.

Dede said he was persuaded to make false statements to the police by a co-worker at a car wash outlet in Cirebon and Rudiana.

He and his co-worker, named Aep, met with Rudiana at a police station in Cirebon, where he was asked to testify that he saw a group of people “carrying bamboo and throwing stones” while chasing Rizky and Vina on the night of their deaths. In fact, Dede never saw that happen.

“It was Aep and Rudiana who asked me to become a witness in the case; perhaps they had discussed it between them before talking to me. I only knew Mr. Rudiana when I met him [at the police station],” Dede told podcast host Dedi Mulyadi, a prominent West Java figure and former regent.

He said he obeyed Rudiana’s instructions out of fear.

Dede added that he was curious and asked Aep why they had to follow the “scenario” presented by Rudiana. According to Dede, Aep told him to care less about the suspects because they had bullied him in the past.

Dede also said he took no payment from Rudiana to make the false statements.

Realizing that his latest statement could change the course of the now-famous “murder case,” Dedi asked Dede if he was lying again this time.

“I told you the truth that I was guided [to make false statements], and I’m willing to testify again before the Bareskrim [the criminal investigation unit of the National Police],” Dede replied.

He also urged Aep to come out and tell the truth.

Rudiana was a low-ranking officer assigned to the narcotics unit of the Cirebon police when his son died. He has been criticized for overstepping his authority by getting involved in the homicide unit and causing bias in the police investigation into his son and Vina’s deaths.

The seven convicts serving prison time include Jaya, 23; Supriyanto, 20; Eka Sandi, 24; Hadi Saputra, 23; Eko Ramadani, 27; Sudirman, 21; and Rivaldi Aditya Wardana, 21. Another convict, Saka Tatal, has been released from prison for good behavior after serving half of his eight-year sentence.