Three sentenced to 10-year prison terms for murder, robbery

AMMAN — The Criminal Court has sentenced three men to 10-year prison terms for robbing and murdering a seller of second-hand furniture in September 2003.

The court first handed the defendants the death penalty after convicting them of robbing and murdering Ali A.

But the court decided to commute the sentence because the victim’s family dropped charges against the defendants. 

Court papers said the defendants knew each other before the incident and plotted to drug and rob people in an apartment they rented for that purpose.

On the day of the incident, the defendants decided to rob and kill the victim and lured him to the apartment claiming they had used furniture for sale, the court added.

“One of the defendants mixed six sleeping pills in the victim’s coffee and gave it to him... after he drank the coffee, the defendants took turns striking his head with a blunt object,” the 14-page verdict said.

The defendants then wrapped an electric wire around his neck and electrocuted him to death with it, according to the court.

The three men stole the victim’s mobile, JD950 and $400 in cash then buried him in the basement of the building.

The murder was discovered after the victim was reported missing by his family and police opened an investigation into his disappearance, the court said.

In their investigation, the police depended on the victim’s mobile data and witnesses who last saw the victim.

The tribunal comprised judges Fawzi Nahar, Hussein Tharaba and Mohammad Udwan.

The verdict, which was issued earlier this month, will automatically be reviewed by the Cassation Court within the next 30 days.