ISLAMABAD - The Supreme Court on Monday converted the death sentence of four persons involved in the murder of a woman and her five children into life imprisonment.

Accused Sarfraz, Javed, Nadeem, and Muhammad Yusouf, who had murdered Shafiqa Bibi and her five children around 23 years ago, were given death sentence by the trial court.

A three-member bench of the apex court headed by Chief Justice Asif Saeed Khan Khosa heard the case.

During the course of proceedings, the chief justice observed that it was not clear that who had killed the family. When there was doubt as to who of them was involved in the murder, then its benefit went to the accused, he added.

The state prosecutor said the accused had killed Shafiqa Bibi and her children during a dacoity in Narwan Kot area of Lahore in 1996 as their hair and fingerprints were found at the crime scene.

The counsel for the accused said no witness had recorded statement against his clients. They were involved in the case on the basis of fake fingerprints.