Saeed Qashash

Outcome

Saeed Qashash was executed by hanging in his prison cell on June 6, 1999.

Background

Saeed Qashash was a Jordanian who was 20 years old when he was convicted. He was convicted of shooting to death 11 members of his family and a friend.

Qashash told authorities that his family had criticized him for his failure in secondary school exams. He said he could not take it anymore and decided to kill them. It was also reported that the incident involved his failure in secondary school exams and that people were shocked by the mass killing by a youth of 11 members of his family and his friend.

Some reported motives were inconsistent in later commentary, including claims that it may have been “a precautionary measure” in response to the family’s threat to kick him out of the house if he failed the Tawjihi exams, and later reports that he did it to inherit the house and his father’s company; those later reports were described as unconfirmed.

Minutes before his execution, Qashash asked for God’s forgiveness and redemption and said he was sorry that he murdered his family in “such a savage way.” He was declared dead at six o’clock Monday morning. His family refused to receive his body and asked the police to bury his corpse.

The offence

Saeed Qashash murdered 12 people in total: 11 members of his family and a friend.

He shot victims in the head. After the shooting, he hid the bodies behind a brick wall in the basement of his family home by bricking up the bodies.

The victims included:

• His mother, Thuria, age 50
• His father, Amin, age 57
• His brothers, Mohammed and Mostafa
• His sisters, Karimeh, Wafa, Mervit, and Insaf
• The husband of one of his sisters and the husband’s children aged two and three years old
• His close friend, Atta Shalan

A separate statement identified the family victims as two brothers and four sisters, the husband of one of his sisters, and two nephews aged two and three, in addition to his parents and his friend.

Timeline

• June 6, 1999 — Saeed Qashash was executed by hanging in his prison cell.
• June 1998 — Qashash committed the crime, shooting dead a school friend and 11 relatives including his parents and two toddlers.
• November 1998 — Qashash was sentenced for gunning down a school friend and 11 relatives including his parents.
• Two days later — Qashash was arrested and confessed.

Arrest

Qashash was arrested days later after the killings.

He confessed two days after the shooting.

Trial

Saeed Qashash was sentenced in November 1998 for shooting dead a school friend and 11 relatives including his parents.

Sentencing

Qashash was sentenced in November 1998.

He was later condemned to death and was executed by hanging.

Appeals

No appeal information was provided in the material.

Aftermath

Jail officials stated that Jordan executed Qashash at dawn.

The execution took place at Swaqa Prison, 60 miles south of the capital, Amman, and officials also said it was at Sawaqa jail, 70 kilometres (45 miles) south of Amman.

The public reaction described Jordanians as shocked and condemned the crime. A discussion of possible motives included commentary from Dr Sari Nasir from the University of Jordan, who described waiting for the investigations’ results and gave broader explanations for rising crime, including complexity in society, economic factors, and pressure imposed by parents on their sons that sometimes leads to conflicts between generations.

Dr Sari Nasir said:

“Generally speaking, crime is escalating in Jordan, and there are three main causes behind it,”

He added:

“Undoubtedly his personality must be disturbed and, after being pressured by the family, he might have had a breakdown and committed the crime.”

Dr Sari Nasir called on the government to pay closer attention to social problems in Jordanian society as they directly affect levels of crime.

One analyst trying to understand the killer’s motive said:

“Inside us lies two personalities, the soldier and the philosopher. The first likes to be strong and powerful, while the second prefers to be quiet, romantic and mostly dreaming,”

and:

“Also, in our daily life, things are complicated and people with heavy burdens and responsibilities become tense and start to lose control over their nerves. In a split second their outrage could turn them into murderers.”

Other details

Qashash’s age was described as 19 when he committed the crime in June last year, and also as 20 years old when hanged. The crime was described as occurring in June last year, and the execution was carried out on June 6, 1999.

Jail officials described the execution as occurring at dawn.