Jordanian sentenced to death by hanging for murdering mother

A Jordanian man was sentenced to death by hanging for murdering his mother, according to local media.

The Grand Criminal Court said the man used an AK-47 to shoot dead his mother and injured his two sisters.

The convicted man's brother was also sentenced to life in prison for his role in the murder.

Their father, third sister, and their younger brother managed to escape the shooting spree.

The two men are both in their 20s and drug addicts, according to the court report. 

The murder happened when the brothers rowed with their father, who threatened to inform the police about their drug addiction. 

After a fight broke out, the two men attempted to shoot their father but the mother intervened and the parents managed to confiscate the weapon.

They gave the rifle to the youngest son who ran out of the house until one of the brothers caught up with him and snatched the weapon.

The convicted man then fired the shots that killed the mother, the report read.

Jordan had a moratorium on the death penalty from 2006. That ended with the execution of 11 people in December 2014.

Human rights groups have decried Jordan's renewed use of hanging. Last year, Jordan handed out more death sentences but did not carry out any executions, according to Amnesty International's 2020-2021 human rights report on the country.