Court upholds sentence for man who killed stepbrother, concealed body

The Court of Appeal in Malaysia has confirmed the 30-year jail sentence and 12 strokes of the cane handed to former trader Zamhuri Azami for the murder of his step-brother and hiding the body. A panel of three judges unanimously rejected Zamhuri's appeal against both his conviction and sentencing. The judges also dismissed the prosecution's request to impose the death penalty on the 31-year-old.

Justice Noorin Badaruddin stated that the sentence imposed by the High Court was appropriate and did not require any further appellate intervention. She further noted that there was insufficient evidence to justify replacing the sentence with either the death penalty or a 40-year prison term, as the prosecution had suggested. According to Noorin, the possibility of an altercation between Zamhuri and the deceased did not automatically establish that the lethal act was justified under self-defense.

On May 13, the Alor Setar High Court had convicted Zamhuri of murdering Hasnul Nizar Khairul Anuar, a 34-year-old man, and sentenced him to 30 years in prison and 12 strokes of the cane. The incident allegedly occurred at their residence in Kampung Padang Hassan, Bukit Pinang, Alor Setar, at around 7:15 pm on March 6, 2020. The prosecution seized a meat cleaver from the scene.

During the court proceedings, Zamhuri's defense counsel argued that his client did not intend to kill his step-brother, asserting that the deceased had attacked him during the clash and that Zamhuri had acted in self-defense. However, Deputy Public Prosecutor Nur Aqilah Syaza Ariffin countered that the pathologist's testimony revealed that the victim's injuries, particularly a deep incised wound to the neck, contradicted Zamhuri's account of a fight or struggle.