Nine people were convicted on Tuesday of murder or accessory to murder in the killing of a 19-year-old woman gunned down by her older brother two days after her wedding because her Pakistani family disapproved of her choice of husband. The 12-member jury returned guilty verdicts against the nine, all family members and friends, for the murder of Ghazala Khan. Sentencing is expected later this week, likely on Friday.Khan, who was born in Denmark, was shot and killed Sept. 23 in Slagelse, 100 kilometers (62 miles) west of Copenhagen. Her husband was shot twice in the stomach but survived. In testimony during the trial, Khan's older brother, Akthar Abbas, admitted to shooting the couple as they tried to flee to a train station, but he claimed he acted in self-defense because his brother-in-law, Emal Khan, had allegedly kicked him.
Akthar Abbas was found guilty of murder. His father, Ghulum Abbas, was found guilty of incitement to murder and masterminding the killing. Prosecutors said he had his son and other members of the family to track down his daughter and her new husband and kill them. Ghulum Abbas denied the charges. Both face the maximum sentence of life imprisonment, which under Danish law is automatically commuted to 16 years. Seven other people, including three of Khan's uncles, an aunt and a family friend, were found guilty of being accessories to murder.