Man in murder case acquitted after mental health evaluation

AMMAN — The Cassation Court has upheld a September Criminal Court’s acquittal of a 32-year-old man who was standing trial for the premeditated murder of his wife and two daughters in Ramtha in January 2017.

The defendant, who fixed bicycles, was standing trial for stabbing and murdering his 24-year-old wife and two daughters, one and two years old, on January 18. 

A third child, aged four, survived the stabbing incident.

The Criminal Court ruled that the defendant “was suffering from mental disturbances at the time of the murders”.

The Criminal Court ordered the suspect to be detained at the National Institute of Psychiatric Medicine (NIPM) “until physicians there determine that he no longer poses any danger or risk to society”.

Court papers said the defendant and the victim, who is also his cousin, were married for five years.

The defendant would "often beat up his wife and she would end up spending some days at her family’s home,” court papers stated.

On the day of the incident, the defendant returned home and stabbed his wife and three daughters because “he suspected that his wife was cheating on him”.

The defendant then headed to the nearest police station and turned himself in, claiming to have killed his wife “to cleanse his family’s honour”, the court added.

The mother and the one-year-old died of multiple stab wounds to different parts of their bodies, while the two-year-old had her head almost decapitated, according to medical reports.

The four-year-old child, who suffered from several stab wounds and was listed in critical condition, survived the incident following medical intervention, according to court papers.

During the trial, the court maintained, the Criminal Court judges noticed that the defendant "was acting in a weird manner and decided to refer him to the NIPM for a mental health evaluation", the court papers stated.  

A physician at the NIPM, who was one of three doctors in charge of examining the defendant, testified in court that “he suffered from paranoid psychotic disorder (PPD) [pathological jealousy]”, the court papers said.

The NIPM told the court that the defendant “was most probably suffering from PPD when he committed the murders”, according to court documents.

The physician was quoted as saying in court that based on the charge sheet and the case's circumstances, “most likely the defendant was suffering from PPD before the stabbing incident”.

“The psychological jealousy created severe suspicion and illusions for the defendant that his wife was unfaithful to him, and therefore, he was no longer able to think in a logical manner,” the NIPM physician testified in court.

Based on the NIPM’s physician testimony “it was clear to the court that the defendant did not have the knowledge or control over his actions”, the Court of Cassation ruled.

That is why, the higher court maintained, “the defendant will remain held at the NIPM until physicians there determine that he is no longer posing any danger to his surroundings and the community”.

The Court of Cassation’s tribunal comprised judges Mohammad Ibrahim, Yassin Abdullat, Nayef Samarat, Mohammad Khashashneh and Hammad Ghzawi.

Shortly after the murders occurred, police said there were reports of attacks on properties belonging to the family of the suspect.

There were minor incidents that involved arson and attacks on properties of the suspect’s family, but the situation was brought under control, police officials told The Jordan Times then.