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Lawyers for Verry Idham “Ryan” Henyansyah, on trial for the first of 11 murder charges at Depok District Court in West Java Province, said on Monday that the killing was not premeditated and their client was temporarily insane.

Ryan is accused of brutally murdering Heri Santoso on July 11, 2008. Prosecutors allege that Ryan stabbed Heri repeatedly and killed him by skewering him with a crowbar. The body was then cut into seven pieces before being dumped in a field in the Pasar Minggu area of South Jakarta.

Senior defense lawyer Kasman Sangaji told the court, presided over by Judge Suwidya, that Ryan had suffered a temporary emotional disturbance that clouded his judgment when killing Heri — challenging the prosecutors’ demands for the death penalty for Ryan.

“The defendant was provoked when Heri told him he wanted to meet Novel Andreas and date him,” Kasman said, referring to Ryan’s gay lover.

“The victim even said that he was willing to pay to spend a night with Novel. This sudden burst of emotion caused the defendant to act outside of his normal secluded and private self — this could be categorized as temporary insanity — and therefore the defendant should not be held responsible for his crime.”

The Criminal Code, however, does not recognize the term “temporary insanity,” which Kasman said was “formulated in the Dutch colonial era and has not kept up with advances in science and technology, especially in the field of clinical psychiatry.”

The defense also challenged the notion that the murder was premeditated. “For a murder to be premeditated, the defendant had to plan not only his act, but also how to avoid getting caught,” another lawyer, Nyoman, said.

“The act was merely an impulse, shown by the lack of initial motive and planning. Prosecutors have pieced together misrepresented facts and formed their own judgment, based on popular public opinion and assumptions.”

Prosecutor Ismed told the court to ignore the defense’s argument, saying “the defendant’s act was sadistic. He did not show any remorse.” The prosecution said Ryan should receive the death penalty.

A verdict is expected on April 6, following a trial that has lasted more than five months. Ryan still must face trial in Jombang, East Java Province, for the murder of 10 other people, however.

Ryan’s arrest and confession shocked the nation, with the discovery of 10 mutilated bodies at his parent’s home in Jombang.