Man gets life in prison for revenge murder

AMMAN — The Cassation Court has upheld a November 2018 Criminal Court decision sentencing a man to life in prison after convicting him of shooting and killing a man in Amman in July 2015.

The Criminal Court handed the defendant the maximum sentence after convicting him of the killing that took place in mid-July, to avenge a fight that happened a day earlier between the victim's family members and his father.

Court documents said the victim's family members engaged in a heated argument with the defendant's father one day before the incident.

"The defendant decided to take revenge and headed to the victim's family house the following day, armed with a pistol," court papers said.

The victim was surrounded by several people near his house and the "minute the defendant saw them he started firing at everyone who was in the vicinity", court papers said. 

"One of the bullets struck the victim’s forehead, while the rest of the group was unharmed," court papers said.

The victim was rushed to a nearby hospital where he remained for a few days in the intensive care unit until he succumbed to his injuries on July 21, court papers added.

Meanwhile, the authorities, court papers stated, immediately arrested the defendant.

The Criminal Court’s attorney general had asked the higher court to uphold the sentence against the defendant, stating that the court had abided by the proper legal procedures when sentencing the defendant.

The defendant contested the court's ruling through his lawyer, arguing "there is no evidence to link the defendant to the murder”.

"The Criminal Court prosecutor failed to provide any evidence that would link my client to the murder," the lawyer argued.

However, the Cassation Court ruled that the Criminal Court’s judgement fell within the law, that the proceedings were appropriate and that the sentence given was satisfactory.

“It was proven to our court that the defendant was the one who fired the fatal bullet and therefore, he deserves the sentence he received,” the higher court ruled.

The higher court added that the defendant "confessed willingly to the incident and there are several witnesses who testified to seeing him fire towards the victim and those who were near him," the court papers added.

The Cassation Court tribunal comprised judges Mohammad Ibrahim, Yassin Abdullat, Bassem Mubeidin, Naji Zu’bi and Majid Azab.