The Vietnamese Iced Coffee Murder
Once upon a time, there were two Indonesian women, Jessica and Wayan. They had met in college in Australia and had become fast friends. One of their favorite pastimes was to sit in a coffee shop and chat about their lives.
One day, Jessica and Wayan scheduled a chat session at the coffee shop. Jessica arrived first and ordered for both her and Wayan. She ordered Wayan’s favorite which was iced Vietnamese coffee and her regular black coffee. Wayan arrived and the ladies started to chat. As they were talking, Wayan told Jessica that she didn't think that her boyfriend Patrick was the right person for her. Wayan felt that Patrick didn't treat Jessica the way she deserved to be treated, and that he was holding her back from achieving her goals and dreams.
At first, Jessica was hesitant to take Wayan's words seriously. She loved Patrick, and she didn't want to let go of their relationship. But as the days went by, Wayan's words started to sink in. Jessica began to see the truth in what Wayan had been saying, and she realized that her relationship with Patrick wasn't as strong as she thought it was. Days later Jessica broke off her relationship with Patrick.
After graduation, they went their separate ways, with Wayan moving back to Indonesia and Jessica staying in Australia.
One day, Jessica was scrolling through the Jakarta Post when she saw an announcement of Wayan's wedding. She was excited for her friend, but as she read on, she started to feel a deep sense of sadness and regret. As Jessica read about Wayan's wedding, she couldn't help but wonder what could have been if she had stayed with Patrick. Jessica became consumed by anger and resentment. She felt like she had missed out on something great, and she started to blame Wayan for her own misfortunes.
Months later Jessica traveled back to Jakarta and made an appointment with Wayan to catch up on their lives. The appointment was for late afternoon at one of the biggest malls in Jakarta. Jessica arrived first and ordered her friend’s favorite Vietnamese iced coffee. She placed her shopping bags on the table and when the coffee order arrived, she placed the coffees behind the shopping bags. Wayan arrived moments later and thanked Jessica for the Vietnamese iced coffee, saying you always remember, and you are such a kind friend. Wayan took one sip of the coffee and said this tastes strange and then instantly fell over. Wayan was rushed to the hospital where she later died. The autopsy revealed that she had cyanide in her stomach.
Jessica was arrested and charged with murder. Her trial became an event that was all consuming in both Indonesia and Australia. Jessica maintained her innocence throughout the accusations and the trial. During the trial prosecutors presented evidence of Jessica on video recording playing with the coffee behind the shopping bags. But there was no clear view of her putting anything in the coffee. But there was evidence that there was cyanide in the Vietnamese iced coffee cup. In the end a three-judge panel found her guilty and sentenced her to 20 years in prison.
One should always pick their friends carefully, and one should always get their own iced coffee.