NAJRAN — Emir of Najran Prince Mishal Bin Abdullah has ordered officials to expedite investigations to uncover the circumstances that led to the murder of a housewife and four children in Sharourah by the woman's husband. Police said preliminary evidence indicated that the crime was premeditated. The man confessed to the crime and a Sharourah court authenticated his statement. Court sources said during the confession, the suspect did not show any remorse in carrying out the gruesome murders. Najran police spokesman Capt. Abdullah Al-Aswi said the man in his 30s came to the Sharourah police station at around 10 p.m. on that fateful day and confessed that he had killed his wife and four children. Police went to the house and found the five bodies covered in blood. The man said he had visited his ex-wife's house and asked his son to accompany him as he needed his assistance. He then took his son to his house and killed him along with his second wife and three children. “This indicates that the murder was premeditated,” said Al-Aswi. The general manager of the Ministry of Islamic Affairs branch in Najran, Saleh Al-Desaimani, denied reports that the suspect was a ministry employee. “The man is not even a Saudi but has applied for Saudi citizenship,” he added. Residents of Sharourah were shocked at this heinous crime in their city. Abdullah Al-Mazrou'ei, a notable figure in the neighborhood where the crime took place, said he and his family could not sleep in the nights following the crime. He blamed the suspect's relatives for the crime, as they should have notified authorities when they noticed a change in the man's behavior. Dr. Abdulhamid Al-Habeeb, a psychologist, said such violent crimes are usually not committed by psychologically disturbed people. Violent crimes most often are drug-related, as mentally disturbed people do not normally reach such a degree of violence. He, however, said there can be serious repercussions when mental patients do not adhere to their doctor's instructions and do not take medicines on time. He said any change in behavior should be immediately reported to the authorities and doctors should be consulted. Sou'aan district, where the crime occured, is a rundown neighborhood in Sharourah. There are many abandoned and broken down houses that have become a safe haven for criminals.
