Jordan Times

JORDAN: Death penalty overturned - Defendant to receive psychiatric evaluation

In Amman, the Court of Cassation overturned a death sentence handed to a 25-year-old man for robbing and murdering his friend in a deserted area near Mafraq 2 years ago, according to the defendant's attorney. The same tribunal also upheld the death penalty for a 20-year-old man sentenced in the same murder.

 Raed Khalil and Amir Anwar were convicted by the Criminal Court in May of this year for murdering and then setting the body of Ahmad Awadat, a truck driver, on fire in a wooden area in December 2000 to cover up the killing.

 The higher court overturned Khalil's verdict last week and instructed the Criminal Court to refer him for psychiatric evaluation as requested by his attorney in earlier court sessions.

 I submitted medical and police reports to prove that he was mentally ill and that he tried to commit suicide several times, attorney Zahra Sharabati said.

 The Criminal Court will most probably refer my client to the National Institute for Psychiatric Diseases for evaluation and then will issue its verdict based on their assessment, said Sharabati.

 The attorney estimated the evaluation would require about 1 month to complete.

 Court papers said the two defendants were lamenting to each other their poor financial situation in the weeks prior to the incident and subsequently robbed their friend Awadat.

 The 2 told the victim they wished to hire him to move some furniture and lured him to a deserted area in Thalil while on their way to Mafraq.

 [Khalil and Anwar] struck him with a club on his head, slit his wrists and left him to bleed to death, the court said.

 The defendants then poured kerosene on the victim's body, set it on fire and fled the scene, the court said.

 The 2 robbed the victim of JD5, a lighter and a key chain, the court said.