Two men in Qatar have been handed death sentences and two others five years in jail for the murder of a security guard at an automobile showroom, Al Sharq reports.

According to the newspaper, the four men approached the showroom, which was not identified, after hours and told the guard they needed to retrieve a ball they had left there. After the guard let them in, three youth began to beat the man while their friend stood watch.

The Peninsula translates:

They forced the guard on to the ground and one of them began strangling him as the other two kept kicking him until the guard died.

After making sure that the guard had died, the three youngsters dragged his body to one of the brand new cars on display in the showroom and locked it in.

The friends then stole a vehicle from the showroom, briefly using it after affixing a discarded license plate. Eventually, they abandoned the car in a deserted area.

According to Al Sharq, because two of the men were minors, they were sentenced by a juvenile court to jail time and then ordered to be deported.

And though the other two face death sentences, Qatar has had no reported executions in over a decade.

Lawyers said they planned to appeal the verdicts, arguing in court that the murder was not premeditated. Rather, the youth had only planned to steal a car, and even though they brought a knife, had not used it. 

Anyone know more? Thoughts?

Credit: Photo by Shabina S. Khatri