Death sentence, 15-year jail term for men involved in murder of taxi driver

AMMAN — The Court of Cassation has upheld a January Criminal Court ruling sentencing a man to death and a second man to 15 years in prison after convicting them of robbing and murdering a taxi driver in Madaba in June 2012.

The court found the two defendants, both aged 25, guilty of killing a 27-year-old man on June 20 and handed them the maximum punishment.

Court documents said the defendants plotted to murder the taxi driver because they thought “he was an informant for the authorities”.

“The defendants were illegal drug users and thought the victim was working as an undercover agent and was going to report [them] to the authorities so they decided to kill him,” court papers said.

On the day of the murder, the defendants pulled the victim over and asked him to give them a lift to a remote area, the court stated, adding "on the way, and following a brief discussion with the victim, one of the defendants pulled a gun and shot him once in the head, killing him instantly".

The defendants then dragged his body over 400 metres, buried it under rocks, took the victim’s mobile and left, the court continued.

 The victim’s body was found four days later in the Wadi Heidan area, while his taxi was discovered in a deserted area in Madaba two days after his disappearance.

 The defendants contested the court’s ruling arguing that they had no intention of murdering the victim and that “they were only scaring him when a bullet was discharged accidentally from the weapon, killing the taxi driver”, court papers said.

However, the higher court ruled that the Criminal Court’s ruling was accurate and that the defendants deserve the verdict they received. 

 The Court of Cassation judges were Mohammad Ibrahim, Naji Zubi, Hamad Ghzawi, Bassim Mubeidin and Majid Azab.