Lawyer gets 30-year prison term for murdering his two brothers

AMMAN — The Court of Cassation has upheld a December Criminal Court ruling sentencing a lawyer to 30 years in prison after convicting him of murdering his two brothers over a legal dispute in November 2014.

The Criminal Court declared the defendant guilty of shooting and killing his two brothers while at their shop in the Balqa governorate on November 6, and handed him the maximum punishment.

The court also ordered the defendant to pay JD45,000 in fines to the victims’ families.

Court papers said six months before the incident the defendant was appointed by one of the victims to represent him in court over a murder case.

 “The defendant could not bail the victim and problems had escalated since then with the two victims,” court documents said. 

Court documents added that “the defendant decided to murder his brothers as a result of the constant disputes”. 

On the day of the incident, the court maintained, the defendant headed to the victim’s shop with a loaded gun.

“Without uttering a word, the defendant shot and killed his brother who was sitting behind the counter,” the court verdict said.

Few minutes later, the court maintained, “the defendant’s second brother walked into the shop and he also shot and killed him”, according to the court verdict.

The defence lawyer contested the verdict arguing that the Criminal Court failed to refer his client to the National Institute of Psychiatric Medicine to evaluate his mental health.

 “The Criminal Court also relied on one witness to implicate my client and most of the evidence presented during the trial was either contradictory or weak,” the defence argued.

The Criminal Court’s attorney general asked the higher court to uphold the 30-year sentence.

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

The Cassation Court bench comprised judges Mohammad Ibrahim, Hamad Ghzawi, Rizeq Abul Fool, Yassin Abdullat and Naji Zu’bi.