Man sentenced to life in prison for murder

AMMAN — The Court of Cassation has upheld a January Criminal Court ruling sentencing a taxi driver to life in prison after convicting him of murdering a man and attempting to murder three of his family members in Ruseifeh in July of 2017.

The Criminal Court declared the 34-year-old defendant guilty of shooting and killing the victim and attempting to kill his father and two brothers on July 13 and handed him the maximum punishment.

The court also ordered the main defendant to pay JD112,600 in compensation for the victim’s family.

Court papers said the defendant had a heated argument with the victim’s brother at a shop in Ruseifeh on the day of the incident.

Shortly afterwards, the court papers maintained, the defendant headed to the victims’ home with two other defendants, who were acquitted by the same court, "while armed with guns, a sword and an iron bar”, court documents said.

The minute the defendant saw the victim and his family members “he opened fire from his pistol randomly striking the victim in the chest and also injuring other family members in the process”, according to court transcripts.

The defendant contested the ruling arguing that he was defending himself when he shot and killed the victim and injured his family members.

However, the higher court ruled that the Criminal Court followed the proper procedures and the defendant deserved the verdict he received.

“The defendant is the one who attacked the victims at their home and he was carrying a deadly weapon and had full knowledge of the consequences of his actions when he fired from his weapon at random,” the higher court ruled.

The Court of Cassation judges were Mohammad Ibrahim, Naji Zu’bi, Yassin Abdullat, Majid Azab and Hamad Ghzawi.