Life imprisonment for murderer of Royal Rangers officer over crocodile smuggling case

AMMAN — The Criminal Court on Sunday sentenced a 28-year-old man to life in prison after convicting him of murdering a Royal Rangers Department (RRD) officer who was investigating the illegal possession of a crocodile at a shop in Amman in February 2017.

The Criminal Court declared the defendant guilty of shooting First Lt. Ibrahim Tihi Amre at a shop in the First circle in Jabal Amman on February 18, and handed him the maximum punishment, a senior judicial source said.

The court decided to acquit the defendant’s father, 63, who was standing trial on charges of complicity in murdering a government employee for "lack of evidence”.

“It was proven to the court that the father was just escorting his son and had nothing to do with the shooting incident,” the judicial source told The Jordan Times.

Court documents said the defendant posted an advertisement on social media in mid-February claiming that “he wanted to sell a rare crocodile he had owned for the past three years”.

The RRD picked up on the advertisement and contacted the defendant to “inform him that they were willing to pay JD500. The department then tasked six RRD officers, including the late Amer, to pose as buyers”.

“The defendant agreed to meet with the RRD officers at a shop in Jabal Amman,” court documents said.

When the agents entered the shop in plain clothes, the court maintained, “Amer approached the defendant and informed him that they were undercover RRD officers”.

“Amer reached for the crocodile that was placed in a bag but the defendant, who said he thought they were individuals trying to steal the crocodile from him, grabbed the victim by his neck, drew a gun and waved it at other officers, warning them not to approach him,” court documents stated.

The officers attempted to arrest the defendant, so “he fired one single bullet, which penetrated Amer’s chest". The victim was rushed to a nearby hospital but was declared dead on arrival, the court added.

The remaining agents in the shop arrested Amer and seized the crocodile, estimated to be around 60cm in length, as well as the weapon found at the shop.

The victim is survived by his wife and two children. 

The defendant had no reaction upon hearing his life sentence verdict, a second senior judicial source, who attended the hearing, told The Jordan Times.

The Criminal Court tribunal comprised of judges Ibrahim Abu Shamma, Hassan Majal and Azzam Najdawi; the court prosecutor Issam Haddid asked the court to inflict the maximum punishment.

Sunday’s verdict will automatically be reviewed by the Court of Cassation within the next 30 days.