J'lem couple allegedly dismembers man's ex-wife
Man suspected of killing, dismembering former spouse, current wife searched online for chemicals to dissolve body; attorney: It was in self-defense
The remand hearing of a Jerusalem couple suspected in the murder of the man's ex-wife revealed the victim was dismembered and put in a tub, with the alleged intention of soaking it in chemicals.
In the Jerusalem Magistrate's Court on Friday the police representative claimed suspect Zeev Gorlik, a police volunteer and chemical plant employee, tried to tamper with the evidence and dispose of the body.
Related stories:
- 50-year-old woman found dead in Qalansawe
- Murder trial of neo-Nazi raises awkward questions for Germany
- Suspicion: Prisoner on leave involved in murder of sister
"That's the easier part of the whole story," the police officer said.
Zeev Gorlik at court (Photo: Ohad Zwigenberg)
Olga Gorlik brough to the remand hearing (Photo: Ohad Zwigenberg)
According to suspicions, Gorlik murdered his former wife Iris Gorlik Vasiliev, 39, in the Neve Yaakov neighborhood in Jerusalem with the aid of his current wife Olga, who searched online for the chemicals necessary to dissolve the remains.
"This is a premeditated and planned murder by the two suspects," the police representative accused. "The evidence we have proves it unequivocally."
Zeev Gorlik (Photo: Gil Yohanan)
But Gorlik's attorneys claimed he was acting in self-defense after his former wife attacked him with a knife during a dispute.
"Right from the start he said a harsh feud developed between them at home, in the course of which she tried to stab him," they said.
"She even stabbed him once. During the struggle he used the same knife and caused her death."
The police representative dismissed the self-defense claim and argued that Gorlik has changed his version as to the course of events.
The judge praised the police's "careful and ordered work" and extended the Gorlik couple's remand by an additional nine days.
The victim's mother described the two's relationship as good. "In Lag Ba'Omer they celebrated together with the kids," she said, but added that "lately they argued about alimony,"
The victim and her former husband had two children, and she was raising a third with her current husband, who alerted the police to her absence on April 30.
Police officers arrived at Zeev Gorlik's apartment and found it locked. After a while, they noticed the couple leaving the apartment with their two children, aged two and four.
Searching the apartment, police officers discovered Iris' mutilated body in the bathtub and arrested the couple.
- Receive Ynetnews updates
directly to your desktop
