Man gets 20-year prison term for murdering his wife

AMMAN — The Court of Cassation has upheld a May Criminal Court ruling, sentencing a bank manager to 20 years in prison after convicting him of shooting his wife to death in Maan in April 2014.

The court declared the defendant guilty of killing his wife, who worked as a high school teacher, on April 11 and handed him the maximum punishment.

The Criminal Court’s tribunal decided to amend the premeditated murder charge that was originally pressed against the defendant to manslaughter since "it was proven to the court that the defendant did not plot to murder his wife".

Court documents said the couple had been married for 16 years and had three children.

“The couple would often quarrel, especially after the victim learned that her husband was having an affair with one of his colleagues,” according to court documents.

The defendant would also “beat up his wife and mistreat her, especially in the last three years of their marriage before the murder incident took place”.

The victim filed for divorce as a result, but their families intervened and she dropped the case against the defendant at the Sharia Court, court papers said.

On the day of the incident, the court maintained, the defendant went to his in-laws to pick his wife up.

On the way home, the court maintained, the defendant decided to go for a ride with his wife.

“The defendant parked next to a cemetery and the two started arguing and he ended up shooting his wife three times in the face, neck and head,” according to court papers.

The defendant then drove to the nearest police station “with his wife’s body in the car and turned himself in, handing officers on duty the gun used in the shooting incident,” the court added.

“Paramedics were called to the police station, but it was too late because the woman was already dead,” court papers said.

The Criminal Court’s attorney general asked the higher court to consider the original charge of premeditation since “it was clear to the prosecution office that the defendant plotted to murder his wife”.

“The defendant went to his in-laws’ house with one intention in mind, which is to kill his wife,” the Criminal Court’s attorney general charged.

The higher court, however, ruled that the Criminal Court followed the proper procedures when sentencing the defendant, and that he deserved the verdict he had received. 

“It was clear to the court that the defendant did not plot the murder since he never threatened to kill his wife in the past,” the Court of Cassation said.

The murder occurred following “a heated argument” between the two and the gun the defendant used was “always in his car,” the higher court ruled.

The Court of Cassation bench comprises judges Mohammad Ibrahim, Yassin Abdullat, Bassem Mubeidin, Majid Azab and Nayef Samarat.