Elderly man charged with murdering wife, son

AMMAN — The Criminal Court prosecutor on Tuesday charged a 61-year-old retired husband with premeditated murder in connection with the shooting death of his wife and their teenage son in Rusiefeh a day earlier, official sources said.

The 53-year-old victim and her son, 17, received multiple bullet wounds while at their home on Monday allegedly by the suspect, Police Spokesperson Lt. Col. Amer Sartawi said.

“A police force arrested the suspect shortly after the shooting incident and seized a gun,” Sartawi told The Jordan Times.

A senior judicial source said the couple had constant marital problems and that the victim filed for divorce at a Sharia Court.

“The case was ongoing at the Sharia Court and it seems they had several marital issues, including alimony matters,” the senior judicial source told The Jordan Times.

In his initial testimony to police and the Criminal Court prosecutor, the suspect claimed that he engaged in a heated “argument with his wife and ended up shooting her and his son”, according to the senior official source.

“The suspect also claimed that they had argued with his wife about the JD40 alimony that he had to pay for his son,” the senior judicial source said.

The suspect claimed that the victim provoked him and that he committed the double murder following a heated argument, but we have evidence that he purchased the gun used in the shooting incident recently,” the senior judicial source said. 

The suspect was ordered detained at a correctional and rehabilitation centre for 15 days pending further investigations, the senior judicial source added.

“The criminal court prosecutor is expanding his investigations and will summon family members and other witnesses to learn more about the shooting incident,” the senior judicial source said.