CAIRO: The Cairo Criminal Court adjourned on Sunday the trial of Mahmoud Sayed Abdel Hafez Essawy, charged with the murder of Heba El-Akkad and Nadine Khaled in Al-Nada compound in Sheikh Zayed. The court requested the testimony of the coroner who examined the victims' bodies, and the trial is expected to resume on Feb. 11, Essam Shiha, the victims' lawyer, told Daily News Egypt. On Sunday, the court heard the testimony of Gamal Abdel Bary, chief investigator of the Sixth of October security administration, who explained how the prosecution was able to catch Essawy. The trial began last Saturday. During Sunday's session, a video was played showing Essawy reenacting the crime he allegedly committed. The same video was played on "Al-Beit Beitak talk show last month. "[Essawy] confessed that he went to the victims' house to steal, Shiha said. Essawy, however, denied committing the murders, which is expected, according to Shiha. "This is normal; all accused persons deny their crimes when they are put on trial, he said. The court is expected to issue a verdict within a month, Shiha added. "We are asking for the death penalty and we expect to get it, he added. Shiha told Daily News Egypt in a previous interview that Essawy was charged with murder with intent to steal and should thereby receive the death penalty, according to Article 234 of the penal code. The murder, which took place in Khaled's apartment in the early hours of Thursday Nov. 27, captured public attention and triggered a media frenzy questioning both girls' reputations. The editors of several newspapers which had made unfounded allegations about the two victims recently apologized publicly for their libelous coverage.
