The shared room dispute
According to court reporting from Dubai, the defendant and the victim were cousins who shared a room in a residential building in Hor Al Anz. The prosecution case described a history of tension between them, with the defendant later telling police that he felt his cousin mistreated him.
The confrontation that led to the killing began over cleaning duties in the room. Witnesses said the victim shouted for help and that a flatmate entered to find the defendant attacking him. Police arriving at the accommodation found the defendant nearby and recovered a knife.
The public reports agree that the killing occurred in 2019, but they are not fully consistent about the precise date. Some coverage places it in June, while a later report gives July 11. Because the reviewed record conflicts on that point, this page does not present a single exact day as certain.
Initial prosecution and sentence
Dubai Public Prosecution charged the taxi driver with premeditated murder. During questioning, he admitted killing his cousin and described the argument that preceded the attack. Court reporting also records eyewitness evidence from another resident of the accommodation.
Dubai Criminal Court initially sentenced the defendant to 10 years in prison, followed by deportation. Reports published in 2020 described that as the first-instance outcome.
Cassation review and retrial
The case did not end with the 10-year sentence. Dubai's Court of Cassation ordered a retrial. Reporting on the retried case in June 2021 states that the punishment was increased to life imprisonment, followed by deportation.
The available reports do not explain in detail what legal issue caused the cassation court to order a new trial. This file therefore does not speculate about the reason. What can be stated from the published record is that the earlier 10-year sentence did not remain the final outcome and that the retrial produced a life term.
Timeline
2019: the two cousins argue in their shared Hor Al Anz accommodation and one is killed. Contemporary reports conflict on the exact date.
2019–2020: the defendant is prosecuted for premeditated murder and initially receives a 10-year prison sentence, followed by deportation.
Before June 2021: the Court of Cassation orders a retrial.
June 2021: reporting on the retrial states that the defendant is sentenced to life imprisonment, followed by deportation.
Current status
The case is classified as Solved / Adjudicated. The defendant admitted the killing, was convicted of murder, and the original 10-year punishment was replaced after cassation review and retrial by a life sentence. The file does not add names, motives or procedural details that are absent from the verified record.