Shazneen murder: Top court confirms death sentence for one, acquits four others

The Supreme Court has upheld death sentence for one person and acquitted four others in the murder of Shazneen Tasnim Rahman.

The 15-year-old girl, the youngest daughter of Transcom Chairman Latifur Rahman, was raped and murdered at her home in 1998.

The final verdict on Shazneen's brutal killing has given the death penalty to domestic help Shahidul Islam alias Shahid.

He was found guilty of raping and murdering Shazneen, who was a ninth grader at Scholastica School.

It acquitted contractor Syed Sajjad Moinuddin Hasan, who was in charge of renovating Latifur Rahman’s house at that time.  His assistant ‘Badal, and maidservants Estema Khatun Minu and ‘Parvin’ were also let off.

Shazneen’s father Latifur Rahman said, “As a father, I have had to live with unfathomable sorrow and heart wrenching memory of his daughter being most brutally murdered and then wait endlessly, patiently and expectantly for justice for all these 18 agonising years.” 

“Whilst respecting the verdict of the honourable court, I am deeply disappointed and saddened. After receiving the full judgment, we will review and consider our next course of action,” he added.

In 2003, the trial court ordered death sentences for six persons in the murder and the High Court, in its 2006 verdict, upheld death for five, but acquitted one of the accused.

Plaintiff’s counsel Abdul Mobin said that the five, who were convicted by the High Court, are now in jail.

“The matter of seeking a review of the verdict will be finalised after discussing with the plaintiff and the State counsels,” he said.

The defence, however, said that justice has been served.

“Two cases were filed over the incident. The Appellate Division resolved one of them and the other with the judge’s court has been scrapped,” said counsel SM Shajahan.

According to court documents, Shazneen’s body was spotted inside her ground floor bedroom by a domestic help on the night of Apr 23, 1998, when her father was hosting a party on the first floor of their Gulshan home.

She was stabbed at least 20 times. A three-inch-deep wound was found on the neck.

A case was filed the next day accusing Shahid, whose death sentence has been upheld on Tuesday.

Six people were indicted for the murder. They were Shahid, contractor Hasan, his assistant Badal, maid servants Minu and Parvin, and carpenter Saniram Mandal.

All of them were found guilty and given death sentences in the September 2003 verdict by the trial court.

The death references (seeking approval for execution) were forwarded to the High Court the same year while the convicts also challenged the trial court verdict.

In July 2006, the High Court upheld death for five and acquitted Mandal.

The five moved the Appellate Division against the sentence.

The State filed an appeal challenging Mandal’s acquittal by the High Court, which the court scrapped on Tuesday.

The hearings began in March this year and the court kept its verdict pending on May 11 after concluding it.