20-year-jail term upheld for man who shot relative to death

AMMAN — The Court of Cassation has upheld an April Criminal Court ruling sentencing a man to 20 years in prison after convicting him of murdering his relative in Mafraq in  January 2017.

 The court declared the man guilty of shooting his 29-year-old relative on January 19, and handed him the maximum punishment.

Court papers said the defendant and the victim had a heated argument on the day of the incident. “The victim was in the car with the defendant and he cursed him, which angered the defendant and he plotted to kill him in revenge,” court documents said.

The victim dropped the defendant off at his house and left, according to court transcripts, which added that “the defendant loaded his machinegun and headed to where the victim resided to kill him”. 

The victim saw him and “ran towards his car and drove away, but the defendant followed him with his car and shot him to death”, according to court transcripts.

The defendant then headed to the nearest police station and turned himself in and handed officers on duty the automatic weapon, the court added. 

The higher court ruled that the Criminal Court followed the proper procedures and the defendant deserved the verdict he received.

The Court of Cassation judges were Mohammad Ibrahim, Naji Zu’bi, Yassin Abdullat, Nayef Samarat and Bassem Mubeidin.