On Wednesday, Alexandria criminal court decided to hand a preliminary death sentence against a 60-year-old man convicted of murdering Coptic priest Arsanios Wadid last month.
Preliminary death sentences are issued pending the non-binding consultative opinion of the country’s Grand Mufti, as per Egypt's penal code.
The 56-year-old victim, a priest at the Church of the Virgin Mary and Mar Boulos, was stabbed to death on the evening of 7 April as he was walking along the Mediterranean corniche in Alexandria’s Sidi Bishr district.
The assailant was apprehended hours later and confessed to the crime.
The defendant later recanted his confession, however, claiming that the knife found in his possession was just for self-defense and that he was not aware of what he was doing on the day of the incident, according to the prosecution.
The prosecution added that a mental health evaluation determined that the man showed no signs of a psychological disorder and was fully cognizant and possessed agency while committing the crime.
The prosecution also said that the weapon found in possession of the defendant had the victim’s DNA on it.
The prosecution also checked surveillance cameras at the crime scene and obtained the testimonies of 17 eyewitnesses.
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