Cruise ship worker charged with rape and attempted murder to change plea

Twenty-eight-year-old Ketut Pujayasa, an Indonesian national who worked as a room-service attendant for the Holland America Line, was charged with raping, beating, and attempting to murder a 31-year-old passenger on the MS Nieuw Amsterdam; although he originally pleaded not guilty, he is set to change his plea, the Sun Sentinel reported on September 19.

According to the victim, Pujayasa appeared in her room after she changed into her night clothes and was preparing to sleep. He choked her with a telephone cord and a curling iron cord, and later attempted to throw her overboard. In an interview with the authorities, Pujayasa said that he only attacked the victim due to a perceived insult to himself and his family. When he knocked on her door that morning to deliver breakfast, she cursed at him.

The details of the plea will be made public after a September 29 hearing.

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