Man arrested for ‘slitting brother’s throat ‘

AMMAN — The Criminal Court prosecutor on Wednesday charged a 42-year-old pharmacist with manslaughter in connection with the murder of his younger brother in Amman earlier in the day, official sources said.

The 36-year-old victim was reportedly murdered by his brother while at their home in Tarek neighbourhood at dawn on Wednesday, Police Spokesperson Lt. Col. Amer Sartawi said.

The suspect was immediately arrested by police, who were called in to the house, Sartawi told The Jordan Times.

A second source told The Jordan Times that the victim “was known to have been using illegal narcotics for over 20 years and was a troublemaker”.

On Tuesday night, the source said quoting the suspect’s initial confession, the victim engaged in a “fight with the barber in their neighbourhood”.

“The victim then returned home and started cussing his parents and siblings,” the source said.

In the meantime, the barber “called the victim’s family to inform them about what happened with him earlier in the day”, according to the official source.

The phone call angered the suspect who reportedly grabbed a knife and “slit his brother’s throat with it”, the source added.

Criminal Court Prosecutor Hussien Khalileh attended and supervised the autopsy at the National Institute of Forensic Medicine (NIFM), a second source said.

“The autopsy revealed that the victim fought for his life because there were defence marks on his hands,” the second source told The Jordan Times.

The autopsy also indicated that the victim died of heavy bleeding that resulted from a deep stab wound to his neck, the second source added.

Khalileh ordered that blood and tissue samples taken from the victim to be sent to the criminal lab for further analysis, according to the second source.

“The prosecution office wants to learn more about the incident and the suspect’s claims, and decided to examine the victim’s blood to determine if he was under the influence of illegal drugs or alcohol,” the second source explained.

Criminal Court Prosecutor Jihad Dureidi questioned the suspect and ordered him detained for 15 days after hearing his initial confession.

“Dureidi is excepted to summon the suspect’s family members in the coming days to question them about their relationship with the victim and to learn more about the incident,” the second source added.