42-year old who killed his neighbor to be kept in psychiatric institution

The court ruled that he did not understand what was wrong with his actions, so he was not responsible for them.

By MATAN VASSERMAN/MAARIV
The defendant pled guilty to the murder of his 80-year-old neighbor but was acquitted by the court on psyciatric grounds, January 6, 2020 (photo credit: AVSHALOM SASSONI/ MAARIV)
The defendant pled guilty to the murder of his 80-year-old neighbor but was acquitted by the court on psyciatric grounds, January 6, 2020
(photo credit: AVSHALOM SASSONI/ MAARIV)
A 42-year-old man who admitted to murdering his 80-year-old neighbor in a building where they lived in Holon has been acquitted in court on Monday morning after being determined to be in a psychotic state and unable to distinguish between good and bad. The court ruled that he did not understand what was wrong with his actions, so he was not responsible for them. He will be hospitalized for 25 years in a psychiatric institution, the maximum period prescribed by law.
Attorney Boaz Koenig, defense counsel, said, "The writing was on the wall. This horrific murder could have been avoided had he received appropriate treatment and hospitalization before the horrific incident."
Koenig also added that "this terrible tragedy continued even in the seven months following the case, in which my client was behind bars and not hospitalized as he deserved."
In May 2019, the defendant was arrested on suspicion of killing his neighbor after the latter was found dead with stab wounds to her upper body in her apartment. MDA teams determined her death at the scene.
Police from the Ayalon area who arrived at the scene launched the investigation and detained two men for questioning on suspicion of involvement in the woman's death.
The defendant was arrested and taken for questioning, and neighbors told police that in the past, several complaints had been made against him after curses and threats were made to occupants of the building. They argued that the neighbor in question had never resorted to physical violence, and for that reason did not fear that this kind of tragedy might occur.
Translated by Alex Winston.