Bali Nine pastor says it's only matter of time before another Aussie faces the firing squad

Will Cabantog, 35 and David Van Iersel, 38, were arrested as a result of raids in the town of CangguImage: 7NEWS

The Melbourne pastor who witnessed the shooting execution of Bali Nine ring leaders Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran says Aussie travellers have learned little from the pairs' tragic mistake.

As two former Melbourne nightclub promoters face months inside a squalid Denpasar police cell, Christie Buckingham has urged the Australian Government to do more to ensure young people don't fall into the same trap.

She has warned it is only a matter of time before another unlucky traveller faces the firing squad.

She said warnings on Etickets and inflight videos could be one tangible step to ensure visitors jetting to Indonesia understood the risks.

Australian tourists account for 1.2 million of the four million annual visitors to Bali.

"Australia may not have the death penalty but eight of our neighbouring countries do," Pr Buckingham told 7NEWS.com.au.

"Unless the laws change, it's only a matter of time before somebody else faces the death penalty like Myuran and Andrew."

Will Cabantog, 35 and David Van Iersel, 38, were arrested as a result of raids in the town of Canggu, northwest of Kuta earlier this week.

They were caught as part of a wider swoop by Indonesian investigators targeting a major cocaine trafficking syndicate.

`It's going to be very tough for them'

While the latest Aussies targeted have yet to be charged, they will likely remain behind bars while police prepare a brief of evidence.

Pr Buckingham said the duo had a hard road ahead.

"It's going to be very tough for them, they will have very minimal assistance and may even rely on volunteers just to bring them food."

Pr Buckingham, who leads Melbourne's Bayside Church with husband Rob, was a spiritual advisor for Bali Nine's Myuran Sukumaran, praying with him in the final moments before his execution by firing squad in 2015.

Alongside Chan, he had been convicted for trying to smuggle heroin through Denpasar airport a decade earlier.

Despite the case making headlines around the world, Pr Buckingham said young Aussie travellers appeared to be `desensitized' to the risks.

"It boggles my mind," she said. "If convicted of the crime, these are foolish men. But it also proves what we have always been saying. The death penalty or the threat of lengthy or erroneous penalties don't prevent people from taking these risks."

She said it underlined the need for Australia and Indonesia to work closer when it came to education and prevention.

Parading suspects not the answer

Rev Christie Buckingham with portraits of Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran.

Parading the suspects in shackles before the media, failed to get to the root cause, Pr Buckingham said.

RELATED | Conversations: Rajan Narayan, actor in "Execution Island", the final moments of Myuran Sukumaran and Andrew Chan

"Indonesia does not have the same legal and medical provisions as Australia.

"People are too desensitised," she said. "The average person wouldn't even realise the legal drinking age in Indonesia is 21. That means any young person heading over for schoolies put themselves in a difficult situation regarding insurance.

There must be stronger warnings

"There must be stronger warnings."

Pr Buckingham said the movie, Guilty, a depiction of the final hours of Sukumaran's life, should also be made available to watch on flights to Bali.

The film was launched by Virgin founder Richard Branson and Sukumaran's mother in Melbourne last year to mark International Day Against the Death Penalty.

RELATED | Bali Nine pastor Christie Buckingham says threat of death penalty hasn’t stopped laid-back Aussie travellers from taking risks

Meanwhile, friends have rallied to support Cabantog and Van Iersel in any way they can.

Some described Cabantog as the `life of the party' who had quickly earned a reputation on Bali's party scene since he moved from Melbourne for a new life last year.

He had previously posted photos alongside celebrities and football stars including `Honeybadger' Nick Cummins, Collingwood legend Dane Swan and president Eddie McGuire.

Since relocating to Bali for work he said he had found renewed purpose working as a promoter at the Lost City Nightclub.

"My outlook on life is about as bright as this orange suit jacket.

"Every day I wake up meditate and think about how greatful (sic) I am to have the things in my life.

"I appreciate my family my friends and the new connections I have made.

"One day I woke up and said to myself I’m sick of feeling depressed, I’m stick (sic) of pleasing people who don’t add value to my life, I’m sick of playing a persona that isn’t me.

I made a change and you can too. I've never been as happy as I am now. This trip has truly been lifechanging

"I made a change and you can too. I’ve never been as happy as I am now. This trip has truly been lifechanging and I have never been so determined and so focused in my life. Your vibe attracts your tribe and I truly believe that."

On LinkedIn, Mr Cabantog said he was proud to have been voted among the 100 best bartenders in Australia.

It's understood he launched his career in hospitality behind the bar at St Kilda's popular Vineyard. He went on to management roles at Crown's Club 23 and Eve nightclub juggling rosters, stock orders and administrations.

Van Iersel had previously worked at St Kilda bar Captain Baxter before opening a bar in Collingwood that has since been closed down.

Source: 7News, Aaron Langmaid, July 24, 2019

⚑ | Report an error, an omission, a typo; suggest a story or a new angle to an existing story; submit a piece, a comment; recommend a resource; contact the webmaster, contact us: deathpenaltynews@gmail.com.

Opposed to Capital Punishment? Help us keep this blog up and running! DONATE!

"One is absolutely sickened, not by the crimes that the wicked have committed,
but by the punishments that the good have inflicted." -- Oscar Wilde

Former Florida officer who raped, murdered 11-year-old set to be executed

An execution date has been set for a former Mascotte police officer who, in May 1987, assaulted and murdered an 11-year-old girl. Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a death warrant for James Aren Duckett on Friday. He’s scheduled to be executed on March 31. It’ll be the state’s 5th execution this year, following a record 19 executions in 2025. Duckett was convicted in the murder of 11-year-old Teresa McAbee about a year after her death. According to officials, Duckett took the 11-year-old to a lake, where he sexually battered, strangled and drowned her.

Florida executes Billy Kearse

Florida executes man who killed Fort Pierce police officer during 1991 traffic stop Moments before receiving a lethal injection, Billy Kearse asked for forgiveness from the family of Danny Parrish, whose widow said she found peace after a "long, long 35 years.” A man convicted of fatally shooting a police officer with his own service weapon during a traffic stop was executed Tuesday evening, becoming the third person put to death by Florida this year after a record 19 executions in 2025.

Chinese courts conclude trials of 2 criminal gangs from northern Myanmar, 16 sentenced to death

Chinese courts have concluded the trials of 2 major criminal groups based in northern Myanmar involved in telecom and online fraud, the Supreme People's Court (SPC) said Thursday. At a press conference held by the SPC, it was revealed that by the end of 2025, courts across the country had concluded first-instance trials of over 27,000 cases related to telecom fraud operations in northern Myanmar, with more than 41,000 returned suspects sentenced. Notably, among the trials of the so-called "4 major families" criminal gangs -- which had drawn widespread domestic and international attention -- those of the Ming and Bai groups have completed all judicial proceedings.

Florida | Governor DeSantis signs death warrant in 2008 murder case

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Governor Ron DeSantis has signed a death warrant for Michael L. King, setting an execution date of March 17, 2026, at 6 p.m. King was convicted and sentenced to death for the 2008 kidnapping, sexual battery and murder of Denise Amber Lee, a 21-year-old North Port mother. On January 17, 2008, Michael Lee King abducted 21-year-old Denise Amber Lee from her North Port home by forcing her into his green Chevrolet Camaro. He drove her around while she was bound, including to his cousin's house to borrow tools like a shovel. King took her to his home, where he sexually battered her, then placed her in the backseat of his car. Later that evening, he drove to a remote area, shot her in the face, and buried her nude body in a shallow grave. Her remains were discovered two days later. During the crime, multiple 9-1-1 calls were made, but communication breakdowns between emergency dispatch centers delayed the response. The case drew national attention and prompted w...

Oklahoma Ends Indefinite Death Row Solitary Confinement

Every year, thousands of prisoners in the U.S. are placed in solitary confinement, where they endure isolation, abuse, and mental suffering . This practice might soon become rarer for some inmates in Oklahoma, thanks to the efforts of activists in the state. Earlier this month, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Oklahoma announced that the Oklahoma State Penitentiary in McAlester had ended the practice of indefinite solitary confinement for "the vast majority" of death row prisoners.

‘Come on with it’: Arkansas inmate asks to hasten execution

A Faulkner County judge has scheduled an August hearing to determine whether a death row inmate can bypass his attorney’s advice, drop his remaining appeals, and hasten his execution. Scotty Ray Gardner, 65, is facing the death penalty for the 2016 killing of his girlfriend, Susan Heather Stubbs, in Conway. In letters sent to Circuit Judge Chuck Clawson and the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, Gardner said he wants to end his legal battles, writing that he is tired of prison life and skeptical he will receive a fair hearing. “It’s simple,” Gardner wrote in a September letter. “Come on with it.”

Florida Cop-killer Billy Kearse set to be executed today

A man who confessed to fatally shooting Fort Pierce Police Officer Danny Parrish with his own service weapon during a 1991 traffic stop is scheduled to be executed starting at 6 p.m. March 3, barring a last-minute stay. Billy L. Kearse, 53, will be the third person put to death by the state this year, just one week after the execution of Melvin Trotter, who was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to death for strangling and stabbing Virgie Langford in Palmetto in 1986. The Florida Supreme Court on Feb. 12 denied a motion for a stay of execution and a motion for an extension due to the fading health and death of the father of Kearse's attorney. Attorneys for Kearse have filed a motion with the U.S. Supreme Court to stop the execution, citing violations of the Sixth, Eighth and 14th Amendments of the United States Constitution.

Man convicted in 1986 murder set to become Florida's second execution of 2026

STARKE, Fla. (DPN) — A man convicted of stabbing and strangling a grocery store owner during a robbery nearly 40 years ago is scheduled to die by lethal injection Tuesday evening, becoming the second person executed in Florida this year. Melvin Trotter, 65, is set to receive a three-drug lethal injection beginning at 6 p.m. at Florida State Prison near Starke. Trotter was convicted of first-degree murder in the 1986 killing of Virgie Langford, 70, who owned Langford’s Grocery Store in Palmetto, in southwest Florida's Manatee County.

Florida executes Melvin Trotter

The execution of Melvin Trotter for the murder of 70-year-old Virgie Langford in 1986 comes as Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor questions Florida's 'deeply troubling' lethal injection record. Florida has executed its second inmate of the year even as a Supreme Court justice questioned the state's “deeply troubling" record on lethal injections and how it "shrouds its executions in secrecy." Melvin Trotter, 65, was executed by lethal injection on Tuesday, Feb. 24, for the 1986 murder of 70-year-old Virgie Langford, a mother of 4 who was on the verge of retirement when she was stabbed to death in the corner grocery store that she owned for five decades. Trotter was pronounced dead at 6:15 p.m. ET.

Texas Plans Second Execution of the Year

Cedric Ricks is set to be killed on March 11 Cedric Ricks spoke in his own defense at his 2013 murder trial, something most defendants accused of a terrible crime do not do. Ricks confessed that he had killed his girlfriend, Roxann Sanchez, and her 8-year-old son. He admitted he was aggressive and had trouble controlling his anger, stating that he was “sorry about everything.” The Tarrant County jury was unmoved. Ricks has spent the last 13 years on death row and is scheduled to be executed on March 11.

Death Penalty News

Search This Blog