Man charged with manslaughter in stabbing death case

AMMAN — The Criminal Court prosecutor on Saturday levelled manslaughter charges against a 22-year-old man who stabbed and killed his relative in the Balqa Governorate over the weekend, official sources said.

The 23-year-old victim reportedly died after the suspect stabbed him following “a heated argument” in the Ein Basha area Thursday night, a senior judicial source close to the investigation said.

“The victim was stabbed twice with a switchblade following an argument about driving,” the senior judicial source said.

In his initial testimony to Criminal Court Prosecutor Sultan Shakhanbeh, the suspect claimed that “he went for a ride with the victim and the two consumed alcohol,” according to the senior judicial source.

The suspect claimed that the victim asked him to “drive his vehicle and he refused”, the senior judicial source added.

The suspect informed investigators that the victim pulled the keys from the ignition and the two started arguing over the matter, the senior judicial source added.

“The suspect said he drew a switchblade that he kept next to him in the vehicle and stabbed the victim,” according to the senior official source.

The suspect claimed that he had no intention of “murdering the victim and that he was only trying to scare him”, the senior judicial source added.

The victim reportedly received two stabs to the chest, according to the senior judicial source.

“The prosecution office is still waiting for the autopsy report to include it in the case file,” the senior judicial source added.

A senior official source told The Jordan Times that Shakhanbeh ordered that the “switchblade that was used in the incident be sent to the criminal lab for further analysis”.

Shakhanbeh, who ordered that the suspect be detained for 15 days pending further investigations, will summon more witnesses to testify on Sunday, according to the senior official source.