Minor sentenced to 3 years at juvenile centre for murder of neighbour

AMMAN — The Court of Cassation has upheld a September 2018 Amman Juvenile Court ruling sentencing a minor to three years at a juvenile centre after convicting him of robbing and murdering his neighbour in March 2016.

The defendant was convicted by the Amman Juvenile Court of complicity in robbing and murdering his neighbour on March 30 upon the request of his friend, and was handed a 12-year sentence at a juvenile correctional facility.

However, the minor’s verdict was reduced to three years after the victim’s family dropped charges against him, and following several appeals by the defendant at the Appeals Court, “which decided that it was in the best interest of the boy’s life to have his sentence reduced”.

Court documents said that the defendant and the second defendant, his adult neighbour and the victim’s nephew, had been friends since 2014.

“The defendant’s neighbour complained that the victim would often interfere in their lives and was the cause of his father divorcing his mother,” court papers said.

The neighbour, who did not appeal his verdict, asked his minor friend “to help him kill his aunt to get rid of her and he agreed”, according to court documents.

On the day of the murder, court documents stated, the defendants grabbed sharp objects and monitored the victim.

“The victim went to the garage of her building carrying a bag with JD37,500 and $1,400 in cash,” court papers said.

The two jumped on her and “the minor held the victim while the second defendant stabbed her repeatedly on her chest”, court papers said.

The defendants then carried her body back to her apartment and left after splitting the cash, according to court documents.

The two were arrested by authorities shortly after the victim’s body was discovered, the court papers added.

The Amman Juvenile Court prosecutor asked the higher court to uphold the sentence against the defendant.

The defendant contested the court’s ruling through his court lawyer, arguing that he “never confessed to killing the victim or being a complicit to the murder and robbery”.

The lawyer also charged that the court did not follow the proper legal procedures and there were no social workers accompanying the defendant on the first day of his questioning.

Also, the lawyer argued that when the defendant reenacted “the alleged crime, neither his father nor any of his male guardians were present”.

The lawyer also argued that the prosecutor failed to present “any solid evidence that would implicate his client with the charges”.

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

The Court of Cassation judges were Mohammad Ibrahim, Naji Zu’bi, Saeed Mugheid, Majid Azab and Nayef Samarat.