The Mansoura Criminal Court in Dakahlia has referred the case of the Egyptian teacher Mohammed Abdelgalil Al-Tahawy, a physics teacher convicted of murdering his student Ihab Ashraf Abdelaziz and dismembering him into three parts, to the Grand Mufti for his religious opinion on the death penalty. The court has set May 21 for the final verdict after receiving the Mufti’s recommendation.

The decision was made by Judge Magdy Ali Qassem, the head of the 7th Circuit of the Mansoura Criminal Court, which oversees cases in Al-Stamouni. The judicial panel included Judge Wael Safwat Rashid, Judge Mohey El-Din Mohamed El-Kanany, and Judge Walid Nabil Atwa, with Ahmed Kamal as the court secretary.

The case’s second trial session included the defendant’s reappearance in the court, where he confessed to the crime in detail and requested forgiveness from the victim’s family, seeking leniency from the court. The prosecution seeks the maximum penalty, death by hanging, based on the gruesome nature of the crime and the premeditated motive.

The investigation revealed that the defendant, who taught private lessons, had killed the student to extort ransom from the victim’s family. After suffering financial losses from online trading, he targeted the student knowing the family’s financial capacity. He lured the student, murdered him, dismembered his body, and disposed of the remains in agricultural land before demanding a ransom.

The court session on April 21 aimed to appoint legal counsel for the defendant and hear the prosecution’s arguments, leading to the decision to refer the case to the Grand Mufti. Despite the defendant’s appeal for leniency, the court’s move to seek the Mufti’s opinion suggests the gravity of the crime and the potential for the death penalty.

This case has garnered significant public attention due to its brutal nature and the legal and religious implications of the impending verdict. The final ruling is expected on May 21, when the court will pronounce the sentence after receiving the Mufti’s religious opinion on the matter.