547 - Always on the Precipice

Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark, hosts of "My Favorite Murder," delve into two captivating and unsettling stories: the "Witch Doctor Murderer" case of Mona Fendi and the audacious Knightsbridge Security Deposit Heist. The episode, titled "Always on the Precipice," explores themes of ambition, deception, and the allure of the criminal underworld.

The Witch Doctor Murderer: Mona Fendi's Rise and Fall

Georgia begins by recounting the bizarre and tragic tale of Mona Fendi, a Malaysian woman who, alongside her husband Affandi Abdul Rahman and their assistant Juraimi Hussin, was convicted of the murder of Mazlan Idris, a state assemblyman. The story unfolds in 1993, when Mazlan Idris, a 49-year-old state assemblyman with political aspirations, was reported missing in Pahang, Malaysia. Twenty days later, his dismembered remains were discovered buried under a construction site for one of his own properties. The brutality of the crime, with Mazlan's body hacked into 18 pieces, shocked the nation.

Mona Fendi, born Maznah Ismail in 1956, initially pursued a career in singing and performing. Despite a conventional start to life, marrying and having a child, she never abandoned her dream of fame. By her 30s, divorced and raising her daughter Diana alone, she met Mohammad Affandi Abdul Rahman, a sound engineer who became her husband and manager. Affandi, eager to leverage his music industry knowledge, helped Mona release her debut album, "Diana 1," in 1987. Though not a chart-topper, some of her songs received airtime and she even appeared on TV shows.

However, when her music career failed to take off, Mona and Affandi pivoted to shamanism. In Malaysia, shamanism, or bomoh, has a long cultural tradition, with practitioners using their connection to the spiritual world to offer traditional medicines, conduct rituals, and even practice magic. Mona and Affandi, however, were driven by opportunism, targeting wealthy potential clients by fabricating connections to Malaysian royalty or high-level politicians. Mona, a glamorous and charismatic woman, stood out from the stereotypical bomoh, who were typically older men. She successfully established herself as a spiritual authority, even selling a tonic called "The Light of Mona Fendi." Affandi, meanwhile, opened martial arts studios that blended traditional practices with their unique brand of mysticism.

It was at one of these studios that Affandi met Juraimi Hussin, a troubled young man in his early 20s who had experienced a difficult upbringing and struggled with substance abuse. Affandi took Juraimi under his wing, hiring him as a personal assistant to both himself and Mona. The trio became very close, and their bomoh and martial arts ventures thrived, claiming to cure impotence and maintain youth, attracting enough clients to afford a comfortable lifestyle.

Mazlan Idris entered their lives in 1993, seeking their services to help him achieve his political ambitions. Mona and Affandi sold him a supposedly magical hat and cane combo for 2.5 million ringgit (over a million US dollars in today's money). On July 2, 1993, Mazlan arrived with 300,000 ringgit, the initial payment for the ritual. He was instructed to lie in a bathtub filled with flowers, eyes closed, and visualize his money doubling. As he did so, Juraimi attacked him with an axe, killing him instantly. The murder was premeditated, with the primary motive being Mazlan's properties, which were worth significantly more than the fees they would have earned as his clients.

One day after Mazlan's disappearance, Mona and Affandi embarked on a lavish shopping spree in Kuala Lumpur, buying a new Mercedes, jewelry, and electronics, all paid for in cash. Mona even underwent multiple expensive cosmetic surgeries, including a breast augmentation. Their extravagant spending and Mona's unsettling behavior during the subsequent trial, where she would smile and pose for cameras, drew immense public fascination. She became known as the "Witch Doctor Murderer," and her perceived supernatural powers fueled rumors and fear.

In 1995, all three defendants were found guilty and sentenced to death. Despite appeals and arguments about the impartiality of the jury due to the media circus, their sentences stood. In November 2001, Mona, Affandi, and Juraimi were executed. Mona's final words, "I will never die, my soul will live on forever even after my demise," added to her chilling legacy. The case, in part, led to Malaysia abolishing its jury system in 1995 and, more recently in 2023, repealing mandatory capital punishment for certain offenses.