‘Criminal Court waiting for crime lab report in Jordanian-Filipina murder case’

AMMAN — The Criminal Court prosecutor is still waiting for a report from the crime lab in connection with the murder of a Jordanian-Filipina last week, official sources said on Thursday.

“We still have not received the crime lab report on blood and tissue samples taken from the victim. This report will help us with our investigation,” a senior judicial source told The Jordan Times.

The source said Criminal Court Prosecutor Ali Raqqad, who is now handling the case, spoke to several witnesses and friends of the victim.

“Raqqad heard the testimonies of some of the victim’s friends who went to church with her,” the judicial source added.

Earlier this week, a 27-year-old Jordanian mobile shop owner was charged with the manslaughter of the 47-year-old woman.

Investigators checked the victim’s mobile and traced the last call, which led them to the suspect.

The victim, who had been residing in Jordan for over 20 years, was found dead in her apartment near the 3rd Circle in Jabal Amman on April 9.

An autopsy conducted by the National Institute of Forensic Medicine detected strangulation marks on the woman’s neck and bruises on her head.

The suspect, who was married three months ago, confessed in front of authorities to murdering the victim following “an argument and a scuffle”. 

In his initial testimony, the suspect claimed he knew the victim for a long time because she used to buy mobile phones from him and sell them to her compatriots.

The victim was married to a Jordanian and they had two sons. 

The couple were divorced almost 15 years ago and the two boys were residing in a different governorate.

An official at the embassy of the Philippines in Amman told The Jordan Times on Thursday that “the embassy is following up on the case and the woman will most probably be buried in Jordan.”

“The victim’s family here in Jordan will decide whether to bury her here or send the body to the Philippines,” the embassy official said.