Man charged with premeditated murder of friend

AMMAN — The Criminal Court prosecutor on Wednesday charged a man with premeditated murder in connection with the alleged murder of his friend in Amman last month, official sources said.

The suspect reportedly confessed to murdering his friend and then setting his body ablaze in a deserted building in Amman, Police Spokesperson Lt. Col. Amer Sartawi said.

“The victim was reported missing by his family almost a month ago and a special investigation team was formed to follow up on the disappearance,” Sartawi told The Jordan Times.

The investigations, Sartawi added, revealed that the victim was most probably “murdered by one of his friends”.

“Our investigators zeroed in on the suspect and upon questioning him he confessed to murdering his friend over old feuds,” according to the police official.

The suspect said in his initial questioning that “he set the body ablaze to conceal the crime”, Sartawi added.

The suspect reportedly ushered investigators to the deserted building where he allegedly committed the murder and left the badly burnt body, according to a statement by the Public Security Department (PSD).

The criminal court prosecutor is currently questioning the suspect, his relatives and the victim’s family members and friends, a senior judicial source said.

“The prosecutor also ordered that blood and tissues taken from the victim’s body be sent to the Forensic and Laboratories Department that is affiliated with the PSD for further analysis, the senior judicial source added.

The suspect was ordered detained by the Criminal Court prosecutor for 15 days at a correctional and rehabilitation centre pending further investigations, according to the senior judicial source.