TEHRAN -- The spokesperson for the Iranian Judiciary has provided the latest updates on the murder case of Dariush Mehrjui, Iranian film director, and his wife. 
The case, which is being handled in Alborz province, has resulted in a preliminary verdict. There are four defendants in the case.
The first defendant has been sentenced to two counts of qisas (retribution-in-kind), the second defendant to 20 years in prison and lashes, the third defendant to 20 years in prison, and the fourth, being a juvenile, to 5 years in a juvenile correctional facility.”
“An appeal has been filed against the issued verdict, and the case has been sent to the Supreme Court and is currently under review,” the spokesman said.
A final ruling has not yet been issued, and therefore, we refrain from disclosing further details about the case.”
Mehrjui and his wife, Vahideh Muhammadifar, were found stabbed to death on October 14, 2023, in their villa in Meshkin Dasht, Karaj. Prior to this incident, Vahideh had posted on her social media page about anonymous personal threats, including threats from a non-Iranian individual with a knife.
On October 17, Iranian police arrested ten individuals suspected of being involved in the murders, including “the main killer”.
Four Afghans were arrested by police days after the killing for their alleged involvement. One of them later confessed to being the killer, saying that he was a former employee of Mehrjui who harbored a grudge against him “due to financial issues”.