2.  Born January 10 th, 1949.  Died July 10 th, 2008.  Originally a cattle breeder.  Also known as Nasib Kelewang or Datuk Maringgi.  Lived on the outskirts of Medan in Indonesia.  Portrayed himself as a sorcerer.  Women came to him for spiritual advice on how to make themselves more beautiful or richer.

3.  No crimes prior to most recent.  Admitted to killing 42 women, aged 11-30, over a period of 11 years.  Victims strangled in a cable after being buried up to their waists in the ground as part of a ritual.  Told police he had a dream in 1988 where his father’s ghost told him to kill 70 women and drink their saliva so that he could become a mystic healer.  His three wives (all sisters) also arrested for helping hide the bodies.

4.  Suradji was arrested May 2 nd, 1997 after bodies were discovered near his home.  Buried victims in a sugarcane plantation near his home, with the heads of the victims facing his house. He believed this would bring him even greater power.

5.  Trial began on December 11 th, 1997 with a 363-page charge against Suradji.  He maintained his innocence but was found guilty on April 27 th, 1998 by a three-judge panel in Lubuk Pakam.  Sentenced to death by firing squad and executed July 10 th, 2008.

6. I believe that the best sociological theory to describe Ahmad Suradji is the anomie theory. He possesses a cultural goal of becoming a mystical healer, and believes that his father’s ghost’s advice is the only way to achieve that goal. Therefore, he commits the crime of killing the women. It’s apparent that he doesn’t reach his ultimate quota of 70 women, being caught after killing 42. He turned to violence and deviance to complete this goal most likely because he was “told” to do so by his father in a dream. The belief that his father instructed this to him is what propelled him to start the killings and ritualistic tendencies. It is unknown whether his father was a good man or also displayed deviant behaviors. It can be assumed that his father was a sorcerer, and this goal of also becoming one can arise because Suradji wanted to follow in his father’s footsteps. The way he went about it, however, was a path of deviance. He believed the only way to become a powerful mystical healer was to kill the women and perform the rituals with them. This obviously broke the cultural rules and he was therefore arrested. The fact that he wanted to be proved innocent says that he likely does not feel remorse for the killings, and it seems like he’d likely continue trying to reach his goal if he was released.