With reporting from Riham Sheble

A Kenyan man charged with killing a 40-year-old American teacher in her home will have to undergo a psychiatric evaluation before the court resumes hearing the case in September, Doha News has learned.

The man, who appeared in a lower Doha court on Sunday, was previously identified as a security guard in Jennifer Brown’s building in Al Sadd. Shortly after the American teacher’s death last November, police arrested him, and he reportedly made a full confession. He remains in a Qatar jail.

Lots of questions

Brown had moved to Qatar two months before her death to work as a teacher at the English Modern School in Wakra.

Few details have emerged about the circumstances surrounding her demise, though relatives said her death was a “random act of violence.” Previous reports stated that when the suspect was apprehended, he carried money of hers on his person. He is said to face the death penalty – though notably, Qatar has had no reported executions in over a decade.

When reached by phone this week, the victim’s father, Robert Brown, told Doha News that more than seven months later, he has not been kept in the loop about his daughter’s case, despite making several requests to the US Embassy in Doha and the Ministry of Interior.

“I don’t know what to tell you,” said Brown, who lives in Pennsylvania. “My heart is broken, completely broken. That’s all. I want to know why. Why did this happen to my daughter?”

The court is expected to resume hearing the case on Sept. 24.

Thoughts?

Credit: Photo by Shabina S. Khatri