Man charged with manslaughter of 22-year-old sister

AMMAN — The Criminal Court prosecutor on Wednesday decided to upgrade charges against a 21-year-old man, who is accused of beating and killing his married sister in Amman on Sunday, senior judicial sources said.

The 22-year-old victim was rushed to a hospital after vomiting while at her family’s home in Marka neighbourhood on January 24, and died shortly afterwards, a senior judicial source said.

The Criminal Court prosecutor had levelled beating to death charges against the brother on Tuesday in connection with his older sibling’s death, a senior official told The Jordan Times.

But on Wednesday, the senior judicial source said that “new evidence surfaced indicating that the suspect beat his sister with a blunt object on her stomach”.

“The National Institute of Forensic Medicine issued its final autopsy report, which indicated that the victim died of internal bleeding that was caused by a blunt object, and not by punches to the stomach as the suspect has earlier claimed,” the senior judicial source noted.

These new findings, the source added, “changed the entire course of the investigations and now the suspect is charged with manslaughter, which carries a higher punishment”.

The suspect reportedly initially confessed to police to punching his sister twice in the stomach following “a heated argument”, a senior judicial source had told The Jordan Times on Tuesday.

The victim was staying at her family’s home following marital problem and an argument ensued about the matter with the suspect who ended up punching her in the stomach, the source said on Tuesday.

The suspect is currently being questioned by Criminal Court Prosecutor Sultan Shakhanbeh, the second official source told The Jordan Times.

“Shakhanbeh is currently questioning family members and have expanded his investigations based on the new forensic report,” the second source said.

The suspect was ordered detained by Shakhanbeh at a correctional and rehabilitation centre for 15 days pending further investigations, according to the second source.