Police question 25-year-old man over stabbing death of younger sister

AMMAN — Police on Monday said they are questioning a 25-year-old man over the alleged murder of his younger sister in Irbid late Sunday night, official sources said.

The victim’s body was discovered by her family in an empty lot near their home and they immediately alerted the authorities, Police Spokesperson Maj. Amer Sartawi said.

“When investigators and forensic experts arrived to the family’s home, they discovered that the victim suffered multiple stab wounds to different parts of her body,” Sartawi told The Jordan Times.

The police official added that initial investigations indicated that the incident occurred due to family matters.

Police questioned the victim’s family and concluded that the victim’s sibling might be the prime suspect in the stabbing incident, a second source told The Jordan Times.

“Investigators questioned the suspect after searching briefly for him since he was reported missing from his family’s home shortly following the discovery of the body,” the second source said.

In his initial testimony to police, the suspect claimed that “he murdered his younger sibling for reasons related to family honour because she would often leave her family’s home”, the second source said.

The victim’s body was transferred to Irbid National Institute of Forensic Medicine where a team of forensic experts headed by Ali Shotar conducted an autopsy, a medical source said.

“The victim was stabbed over five times on different parts of her body,” the medical source told The Jordan Times. 

The suspect was ordered detained by the Criminal Court prosecutor for 15 days at a correctional and rehabilitation centre pending further investigations.