Court releases minor convicted of murdering pregnant sister in 2015

AMMAN — The Court of Cassation, citing the general pardon, has decided to release a minor who murdered his divorced pregnant sister in 2015 for reasons related to family honour.

The higher court ruled that the defendant, who received a four-year sentence at a juvenile correctional facility for shooting and killing his seven-week pregnant sister in Amman in October of 2015, benefited from the general pardon and should be released immediately.

The defendant originally received an eight-year sentence at a juvenile correctional facility but the ruling was reduced by half because the victim’s parents dropped charges against their son.

The higher court ruled that since the victim’s parents dropped charges against the defendant, “then the ruling falls under the general pardon and his four-year sentence was reduced to two years”.

“The defendant had already spent the two years at a correctional facility and therefore, we order his immediate release from detention,” the Court of Cassation said.

Court papers said the victim, who had been divorced for six years, became pregnant by her ex-husband.

“The victim’s mother was the first to learn about her daughter’s pregnancy and she informed the defendant,” court transcripts said.

The defendant and a second brother took the victim to a secluded area and “tied their sister with a rope”, according to court documents.

“The victim’s siblings asked her about the father of her unborn child but she refused to give them a name so the defendant grabbed a shotgun and shot his sister twice in the chest,” court papers said.

The defendant then headed to the nearest police station and turned himself in, “claiming to have killed his sister to cleanse his family’s honour”, court papers added.

The Court of Cassation judges were Mohammad Ibrahim, Naji Zu’bi, Yassin Abdullat, Bassem Mubeidin and Nayef Samarat.