The Jordanian Court of Cassation upheld a ruling sentencing a Jordanian man and his American wife to life imprisonment for the heinous act of torturing their adopted 7-year-old child, resulting in his death by leaving him in hot water in the bathtub, as well as for the physical abuse of their three other siblings.
In February 2023, the Grand Criminal Court convicted the defendants of murder coupled with the brutal torture of the victim before his death, sentencing them to life imprisonment. They also faced charges of attempted murder against the other three children, for which they received a temporary prison sentence of 12 years; however, the harsher life sentence was enacted.
The details reveal that the couple, married since 2009, adopted four children in 2018 through the relevant authorities in Colombia, and all were registered in their names, living together in an area south of the capital, Amman.
The ruling indicated that the couple's relationship began to deteriorate at the start of 2020, leading to problems that adversely affected the children. The children were subjected to degrading and inhumane treatment, including being forced to stay in the home's bathrooms for extended periods, beaten with hands, wooden sticks, and belts, and having water poured on them as punishment. The couple systematically inflicted harm on all four children.
The ruling also detailed that the acts of brutality escalated, peaking in June 2021 when the wife locked the victim in the bathroom of the bedroom. Upon the husband’s return home, they agreed to punish the victim using hot water. They entered the bathroom, assaulted the child, and poured hot water over his small body, leaving him naked except for a diaper. They then sat down to watch television, indifferent to the child's screams for help, which continued until the following morning.
The child was left in the bathroom for an entire day, reaching a state of suffering where he could no longer scream. He showed signs of having been burned. Fearing that their actions would be discovered, the couple attempted to treat him with medical supplies to hide the burn marks, continuing this until the evening when the victim lost consciousness.
The couple then called for civil defense to transport the child to the hospital, where he arrived without any vital signs. Cardiopulmonary resuscitation was unsuccessful, and he was pronounced dead.
An autopsy revealed that the child had suffered from significant malnutrition and loss of subcutaneous fat and muscle mass, was below normal height, and had poor personal hygiene. The body exhibited second-degree scalding burns covering most of the body, including the neck, chest, abdomen, and all four limbs.
The three surviving siblings were examined by forensic experts, and it was determined that the 8-year-old girl and her brothers, aged 4 and 11, showed signs of physical abuse, including bruises and other injuries on their bodies.
