Three Australians Sentenced in Bali Over Fatal Shooting; Defendants Say They Were Paid by Unidentified Man

DENPASAR, Indonesia — A court on the Indonesian resort island of Bali on Monday sentenced three Australian nationals for the June fatal shooting of a fellow Australian after the defendants told judges they had been paid by an unnamed man to travel to the island.

Australian national Darcy Jenson, center, who is on trial for the fatal shooting of an Australian tourist last year, arrives for his sentencing hearing at the district court, in Denpasar, Bali, Indonesia, Monday, March 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Firdia Lisnawati)(ASSOCIATED PRESS)

The Denpasar District Court convicted Mevlut Coskun, Paea I Middlemore Tupou and Darcy Jenson for the killing of 32-year-old Zivan Radmanovic, who was visiting Bali from Melbourne. A second man, 34-year-old Sanar Ghanim, was shot and beaten in the same incident but survived.

FILE - Plain-clothed police officers are seen at a villa where a shooting that led to the death of an Australian man reportedly occurred, in Badung on the resort island of Bali, Indonesia, Saturday, June 14, 2025. (AP Photo, File)(ASSOCIATED PRESS)

Key Findings and Sentences

Coskun, 22, and Tupou, 27, were each handed 16-year prison terms, while Jenson, 24, received 12 years behind bars. Prosecutors had sought longer terms — 18 years for Coskun and Tupou and 17 years for Jenson — arguing Jenson organized the attack and the other two carried it out.

Australian nationals Darcy Jenson, foreground center, and Mevlut Coskun, rear, who are on trial in the fatal shooting of an Australian tourist last year, are escorted by police officers after their sentencing hearing at the district court, in Denpasar, Bali, Indonesia, Monday, March 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Firdia Lisnawati)(ASSOCIATED PRESS)

Evidence and Testimony

A coroner found Radmanovic sustained three gunshot wounds and blunt-force trauma. During the trial, which began in October, the defendants testified they were offered money to go to Bali and intimidate Ghanim into repaying a debt. They said the offer came from an Australian man they refused to identify because they feared for their families' safety.

Australian nationals Paea I Middlemore Tupou, second right, and Mevlut Coskun, second left, who are on trial for the fatal shooting of an Australian tourist last year, consult with their lawyer during their sentencing hearing at the district Court, in Denpasar, Bali, Indonesia, Monday, March 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Firdia Lisnawati)(ASSOCIATED PRESS)

Investigators described the payment instructions as coming from a so-called "Mr. X," whose identity was never established. The court accepted that the men acted for a "promised payment." Authorities say Jenson was detained at Jakarta's Soekarno-Hatta airport in June as he attempted to leave the country. Coskun and Tupou were arrested overseas in Singapore and Cambodia with Interpol assistance.

Presiding Judge Wayan Suarta: "They are still young and have the chance to improve themselves in the future. Punishment is not intended as revenge, nor to degrade their dignity, but as a preventive measure so similar acts do not occur again."

The three-judge panel noted the defendants caused "deep trauma" to the victims' families but also recorded that the men had no prior criminal records and cooperated during the investigation and trial.

Radmanovic had been in Bali to celebrate his wife's birthday with family and friends when the attack occurred. The case drew international attention because it involves nationals from multiple countries and cross-border arrests assisted by Interpol.