Man charged with murder in case of buried skeleton

AMMAN — The Criminal Court prosecutor has charged a man with murder and robbery almost two weeks after the skeletal remains of a man were found in the badia region, official sources said.

On September 27, a skeleton covered with clothes was found in a remote area on the desert road in Um Al Rasas and coroners determined it was a murder after finding a bullet in the skull, a senior judicial source said.

Investigators could not find any identification on the victim, estimated to be in his 30s, and resorted to their missing persons’ files, the source said.

“A woman was able to identify the victim as her brother from his clothes and watch and a DNA test later proved the family relation,” the source maintained.

Police were informed that the victim had gone missing from his home in April and traced his last whereabouts, according to the source, who is close to the investigations.

“Investigators became suspicious of a man who knew the victim and owed him money, and they questioned him,” the source explained.

In his initial testimony to police, the source added, “the suspect said he was unable to pay back the victim and plotted to murder him.”

“The suspect lured the victim to a deserted area where he shot him once in the back of the head, stole JD600, buried his body partially and fled in the victim’s car,” the source added.

He later sold the vehicle to a man for JD3,000, who sold it to another man that was traced by police, the source explained.

“Police traced the man who bought the vehicle and he positively identified the suspect as the seller of the car,” the source said.

The suspect reportedly confessed to committing the murder and the robbery and re-enacted it in front of investigators, according to a statement by the Public Security Department (PSD).

“The suspect also led investigators to where he buried the body,” according to the PSD statement.

Criminal Court Prosecutor Ahmad Kanani charged the suspect with premeditated murder and murder to prelude to a felony (robbery), a second source told The Jordan Times.

Kinani ordered the suspect detained for 14 days at a correctional and rehabilitation centre pending further investigations, the second source said.