20-year prison term upheld in murder case

AMMAN — The Court of Cassation has upheld a September 2019 Criminal Court ruling, sentencing a man to 20 years in prison for murdering another man following a brawl in an Amman neighbourhood in March 2018.

The Criminal Court declared the defendant guilty of murdering the victim following a brawl on March 15, and handed him the maximum sentence.

The victim died of a single fatal stab to the chest, court papers said.

According to court papers, the defendant engaged in a “heated argument” with the victim and some of his friends while hanging out in the neighbourhood.

Several more people gathered and the argument turned into a brawl, according to court papers.

"The defendant drew a switchblade and stabbed the victim, killing him instantly," the court documents said.

The victim was rushed to a nearby hospital but was declared dead upon arrival, court papers added.

Investigators had managed to recover the switchblade and after analysing the DNA traces they concluded that the blood and tissue samples belonged to the victim and the defendant, the court said.

The defendant contested the verdict through his lawyer, arguing that he “was not the person responsible for the death of the victim”.

“My client engaged in a brawl but he was not the one holding the weapon that killed the victim,” the defence argued.

Meanwhile, the Criminal Court’s attorney general asked the higher court to uphold the 20-year sentence.

The higher court ruled that the Criminal Court proceedings had been accurate and that the defendant was given the appropriate punishment.

The Cassation Court bench comprised judges Mohammad Ibrahim, Naji Zubi, Majid Azab, Yassin Abdullat and Nayef Samarat.