Fingerprint of blood-feud murder accused found on victim’s car, Abu Dhabi court hears

ABU DHABI // The fingerprint of an Emirati accused of killing two Omanis in a blood feud was found on the car of one of the victims, a court heard.

Emirati M D and his brothers, M D and H S, were convicted of killing Omanis S M and S O in Al Ain.

They were shot dead in revenge for the murder of the Emiratis’ 19-year-old sibling by the brother of one of the victims, prosecutors said.

The three are appealing against their death sentence at the Court of Appeal.

Weapons, medical and forensics experts told the court on Tuesday that one of the Omanis had been shot at least eight times and that his body had probably been moved.

Fingerprint specialist M H said he found a print belonging to one of the victims and another belonging to M D on the deceased’s car.

Forensics expert A F carried out an autopsy on one of the victims, S M, at 11pm on May 5, 2012 – the day of the murder.

He said eight bullets entered the body, with six exiting and causing fractures to his chest. The other two bullets were extracted.

“It is possible for the bullet to move in the body and then make its way to another area, and that is the case we have here,” he said.

“Two injuries were directly upon the chest, one on the lower right and one on the upper left, but other injuries show the bullets have been shot from a far distance. Yet the exact number is unknown.”

He said there were abrasions on the body, three of them fresh, and blamed them on friction with thick and pointed surfaces, which could be a result of the body being moved.

“The wounds could have happened before the incident and are not related to the death of S M,” he said.

Weapons expert M Y said the gun used in the attack was a Kalashnikov AK-47 rifle, which was fired more than 50 times.

The weapon and a number of bullets were found in the victim’s car.

Police colonel K K said his forensics team has inspected more than 50 bags of evidence from the forensic doctor, the crime scene inspectors, and police officers.

Biological specialist N M said he examined traces of blood and DNA, including splattered blood on the ground, tyre prints on the road, bullets and the victims’ clothes that had traces of blood and hair.

“I then compared what I had found and blood samples from the car matched those of the second victim,” he said.

Prosecutors said the murders were in retaliation for the death of the Emiratis' brother.

He was tricked into driving to Oman by two men who introduced him to a healer, who gave him a drink they claimed had restorative powers.

He died after drinking it and the two men, aged 35 and 58, stole and sold his car. They were sentenced to life in prison rather than death, which the victim’s family had called for.

This drove the brothers to seek vengeance, prosecutors argued.

The Emiratis claimed they were framed by the police.

The case was adjourned to January 28, when the defence lawyer will give a final presentation.