Woman receives death penalty for husband’s murder

AMMAN — The Criminal Court sentenced a woman to death and acquitted a man in connection with the murder of her husband in October 2014.

The court declared the 53-year-old defendant guilty of stabbing her husband to death on October 10 and handed her the death penalty

The court also decided to acquit a 27-year-old man, who is the victim’s brother and was standing trial on murder charges “for lack of evidence”.

The second defendant’s lawyer Riad Qeisi praised the acquittal, stressing that he “believed from the beginning that his client was innocent of any wrongdoing”.

Court papers said the victim was suspicious that his wife and brother were involved in an “illegitimate relationship and was constantly asking his wife, the defendant, about it”.

“The victim’s wife became annoyed with her husband’s suspicions and decided to get rid of him by killing him,” according to court documents.

The defendant knew her husband was a “heavy drinker so she waited until he consumed a large amount of alcohol and stabbed him 11 times with a kitchen knife while he slept”.

The defendant then wrapped her husband’s body with black garbage bags, the court added, and went to the police to report him missing.

On October 14, the defendant dragged her husband’s body outside the house “then hugged him and started screaming that someone dumped his body in front of her house,” according to court documents.

However, following intense questioning by the authorities the defendant confessed to murdering her husband, according to court papers.

The Criminal Court tribunal comprised judges Mohammad Baloush, Ali Obeidat and Hassan Majali.

The verdicts will automatically be reviewed by the Court of Cassation within the next 30 days.