Man gets 4-year prison term for involuntary manslaughter of friend

AMMAN — The Court of Cassation has upheld a June 2022 Criminal Court ruling sentencing a man to four years in prison after convicting him of the involuntary manslaughter of his friend in Amman in July 2021. 

The court declared the defendant guilty of shooting his 51-year-old friend with a machine gun while on the roof of his house on July 27. 

The court handed the defendant three years in prison for the involuntary manslaughter charge.

The court added one year to the prison term because the defendant was in possession of an unlicensed firearm. 

Court papers said the defendant owned a machine gun and wanted to try it while hanging out with the victim on his house roof. 

“The defendant fired several rounds in the air while holding the machine gun in one hand but lost control of the automatic weapon,” according to the court. 

One bullet struck the victim in the stomach, the court maintained. 

The victim was transported to hospital by emergency service units but died two days later as a result of the bullet wound, the court maintained.

 The defendant contested his verdict at a higher court arguing that he should benefit from a reduction in penalty “because he did not intend to kill his friend”.

Meanwhile, the Criminal Court’s general attorney asked the Court of Cassation to uphold the ruling. 

The higher court ruled that the Criminal Court followed the proper procedure when sentencing and the defendant deserved the verdict he received.  

The Court of Cassation judges were Mohammad Ibrahim, Ibrahim Abu Shamma, Fawzi Nahar, Hayel Amr and Majid Azab.