The Jordanian Court of Cassation

JORDAN: MAN GETS DEATH PENALTY FOR KILLING FATHER

October 5, 2022:

A Jordanian has been sentenced to death after he was convicted of murdering his father in Wadi Araba in December 2020, Gulf News reported on 4 October 2022.
The Court of Cassation declared the defendant guilty of shooting and killing his father on December 6 and handed him the death penalty.
Court papers said that a few months before the incident, the victim asked his son to help him plant some trees on a plot of land he was renting in Wadi Araba.
“The defendant went to help his father, but refused to continue working for him,” according to the court documents.
The victim then beat his son to “encourage him to work harder. The defendant became enraged and returned to his home in Amman. He later returned to the Wadi Araba area “just to kill his father”.
On the day of the murder, the court said the defendant learned that his father had gone hunting near his land and went to find the victim.
“The defendant grabbed the shotgun that was with his father and shot him at close range,” according to the court papers. The victim was struck by a single bullet to the head, killing him instantly.
The defendant fled and “informed his relative that he got rid of his father”. The defendant also asked the family member not to inform anyone, the court heard.
The defendant then pretended to look for his father, who had been reported missing. However, the son became the prime suspect of the investigation after he located his father’s body.
The defendant contested the Criminal Court’s ruling, charging that “the ruling depended on testimonies of unreliable witnesses”.
The higher court ruled that the Criminal Court had followed the proper procedures during sentencing, and that the defendant deserves death.