Kuwait Court Confirms Death Sentence for Man Who Killed Girlfriend, hid body in suitcase

Kuwait City: Kuwait’s Court of Appeals has upheld the death sentence against a man convicted of murdering his girlfriend in the Rumaithiya suburb and attempting to conceal her body inside a suitcase to smuggle it out of the country, local media reported.

The ruling, issued after a hearing chaired by Judge Abdullah Al Othman, amended the legal classification of the crime to premeditated murder by strangulation while maintaining the maximum penalty.

During earlier proceedings, the Public Prosecution had sought the harshest punishment, describing the crime as a serious violation of the victim’s fundamental right to life. Prosecutors told the court that the request for the death penalty was based on principles of justice and proportional punishment.

A medical committee comprising psychiatrists examined the defendant and confirmed that he was mentally sound at the time of the crime.

The Criminal Court had previously sentenced the accused to death and imposed an additional eight-year prison term on charges including desecration of a corpse, misuse of a mobile phone, drug use and unlawful detention of the victim.

On appeal, the court revised the main charge to premeditated murder by strangulation, upheld the death sentence, and reduced the additional prison term to six years for the remaining offences.

Youssef Al Attar, lawyer for the victim’s heirs, said the family had submitted a detailed civil claim outlining the circumstances of what he described as a heinous crime. He added that the legal team would continue to pursue all available legal channels until the ruling becomes final and enforceable, and the rights of the victim’s family are fully restored.

The Kuwaiti Constitution states that Islam is the main, official religion of Kuwait. Islam and the Islamic Sharia (Islamic law) are the main sources of the Kuwaiti Laws and Legislations.

Source: Agence France-Presse, Staff, January 21, 2026

"One is absolutely sickened, not by the crimes that the wicked have committed,
but by the punishments that the good have inflicted."

— Oscar Wilde

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