Land feud ends in run-over killing, man sentenced to 20 years in prison

AMMAN — The Court of Cassation has upheld a May  Criminal Court ruling to sentence a man to 20 years in prison after convicting him of running over his brother with his vehicle during a dispute over cutting trees in Madaba in April 2018.

The court declared the defendant guilty of running over his brother in his vehicle in front of his child on April 12 and handed him the maximum punishment.

Court papers said the defendant and the victim, who lived next to each other, had constant feuds over land ownership.

On the day of the murder, the court maintained, the defendant had an argument with the victim over cutting trees.

“The defendant jumped in his vehicle and struck his brother with the car, the victim fell down and he drove over him,” the court documents said. 

The defendant then went to his uncle’s house to inform him of what had happened, the court papers said.

“The defendant then headed to the nearest police station and turned himself in,” according to court papers.

The victim was rushed to a nearby hospital but was declared dead on arrival by attending physicians, the court papers said.

The defendant did not appeal the verdict, and the Criminal Court’s attorney general asked the higher court to uphold the sentence.

The higher court ruled that the Criminal Court proceedings were accurate and that the defendant was given the appropriate punishment.

The Cassation Court bench comprised judges Mohammad Ibrahim, Yassin Abdullat, Saeed Mugheid, Hammad Ghzawi and Naji Zu’bi.