Arthur Leigh Welohr, aged 35, was apprehended by the police in Banjar City, West Java, on Sunday, September 24, 2023, for the murder of his father-in-law caused by multiple slashes of a sword/knife.
It has come to light that Welohr has a history of violence involving bladed weapons. Media reports from the United States indicate that in August 2015, he was arrested for allegedly attacking two elderly individuals with a sword in San Francisco’s Silver Terrace area during a Friday evening.
A local San Francisco newspaper documented that the violent incident was ignited by a dispute between Welohr and a 59-year-old man and a 56-year-old woman at a building situated between Elmira Street and Helena Street.
San Francisco Police Officer Albie Esparza stated, “The confrontation escalated when he (Welohr) reportedly produced a sword and used it against the victims.” Esparza clarified that the sword attack was not a random act. The male victim suffered injuries to his head, hands, and shoulders, while the female victim sustained hand injuries.
Both victims were promptly transported to San Francisco General Hospital. Welohr was taken into custody by local authorities around 11:50 pm local San Francisco time and subsequently charged with two counts of attempted murder.
Police investigations revealed that Welohr had previously operated a business selling bladed weapons on social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter. However, both of his accounts have since been suspended.
The outcome of the 2015 violence case remains undisclosed. Nonetheless, several years later, Welohr crossed paths with an Indonesian woman, Siti Bashiroh, through Facebook.
Subsequently, he converted to Islam as a demonstration of his commitment to his relationship with Bashiroh and arrived in Indonesia to marry her in 2021.
The couple settled in Banjar, a small town in West Java, alongside Welohr’s in-laws. He worked as a farmer and conducted online sales. However, over time, family disputes escalated, ultimately leading to the tragic event on September 24 when Welohr fatally assaulted his father-in-law, Agus, aged 58.