The Court of Appeals said Saturday it invoked its right of leniency in commuting the death sentence imposed on Sami Mohammed Marzouk Al-Mutairi by the Criminal Court for murdering Michael Rene Pouliot and seriously wounding his colleague David Caraway, both Americans, on Jan 21 this year. Pouliot and Caraway were on a military contract at Camp Doha under the sponsorship of a San Diego, California-based software company, Tapestry Solutions. The Appeals Court said in its ruling that it concurred with justifications put forward by the Criminal Court before it issued the June 4, 2003, verdict, but resorted to Item No 83/1 of the Kuwaiti Criminal Law to commute the death sentence to life imprisonment.
| Does that mean their victim isn't dead anymore? Didn't think so. |
The Appeals Court said it also agreed with the Criminal Court that Mutairi was aware of what he did and had committed the crime of his own free will, not because of a mental disorder as argued by his lawyers.
| I guess you could argue that a religious frenzy is a mental disorder... |
Regarding confessions made by the accused to investigators, the court said he confessed willingly and did not do so under duress. |