Man involved in murder of IDF soldier turns himself in
Suspect in stabbing of 18-year-old Yiftach Grady outside Ra'anana club turns himself in to police. Earlier, court extends arrest of two more suspects involved in murder.
A suspect in the murder of Yiftach Grady, an 18-year-old soldier from Givatayim, has turned himself in to the Kfar Saba police Tuesday. Extensive searches for the 23-year-old suspect, a resident of Ra'anana, were carried out following the murder Monday night.
Earlier Tuesday, Petah Tikva Magistrate's Court extended the remand of two of the suspects involved in Grady's murder outside a Ra'anana club.
One of the suspects, 25-year-old Shay Kalderon, is also suspected of arson and of belonging to a criminal organization. The police requested a 10-day remand of Kalderon, along with additional suspect 27-year-old Meny Dabush, but only a six-day remand was granted. Later today, more suspects will be brought to a remand extension hearing regarding their arrest.
Related stories:
- 18 year-old stabbed to death outside nightclub in Ra'anana
- Three 12-year-olds charged with planning to stab classmate
- Murder in Tel Mond: Woman stabbed by ex-boyfriend
The police attribute the murder to the entire gang, claiming that they stabbed Grady with a sharp object taken from the club's kitchen. During the hearing it was brought to the court's attention that one of the suspects was also carrying a pair of brass knuckles.
Police Representative Sergeant Ronen Golan claimed that Kalderon was arrested for assisting the suspected stabber to murder Grady and claimed he was also the one to initiate the fight.
This is not the first time Kalderon has had run-ins with the law; in 2012, he was sentenced for nine months in prison for causing his girlfriend's death in a car crash. According to the police, Kalderon is allegedly involved with a crime organization and is also a suspect in an arson case from a few months ago.
After the hearing, Kalderon's lawyer Chen Meiri said that her client "has nothing to do with the murder and I believe he will be released later on."
The other suspect, Meny Dabush, who also has a history with law enforcement, arrived at the court and claimed he wasn't involved in the fight at all: "It's all bull****, I haven't done anything, fights were taking place all over the club."
Dabush entered the courtroom with his arm in a cast, claiming he had broken it, and maintained he was innocent. "I haven't done anything wrong, there was a huge fight at the club and I didn't try to separate between the sides. I am sorry for the loss of the deceased's family, it is very sad and I want to tell them that I am innocent and hope they will never experience another tragedy," he said.
Dabush's layer, Shay Tovim said that he was certain that "once the police investigators look at the security camera footage, they will realize my client has nothing to do with this stabbing. The most important thing is that it will be proven that my client had no knowledge of this sharp object and no intentions of using it. His presence at the scene is what got him arrested."
A police source involved in the investigation said on Monday that one of the suspects recognized in the security cameras footage with the murder weapon was probably the one who stabbed Grady. After the suspect managed to escape, a manhunt ensued.
An initial investigation into the stabbing indicated that it was preceded by an argument between the involved parties, who were then removed from the club by security guards. Outside, the conflict between the sides resumed and escalated.
According to Grady's friends, the stabber allegedly went inside the club's kitchen, took a meat fork and used it to stab the deceased. At least a part of the fight was documented by the club's security cameras. One of the people arrested Monday night is suspected of assisting his brother in hiding from authorities after the murder.
Amazing boy
Grady's friends, who arrived at his house in Givatayim on Monday had difficulty accepting what had happened. "He was an amazing boy, a perfect boy. Yiftach was friends with everyone in Givatayim, everyone loved him. This is a boy that never fought with anyone and was never violent. We were at a party at Tel Aviv yesterday and upon arriving to Givatayim, we heard the news"
Regarding the circumstances of the murder, Grady's friends said: "They (the security guards) removed them (from the club) just so that nothing would happen on the club's grounds, so that they would not be linked to the incident. It would have been better if they had called the police and taken them all into custody."
Alex, the armed security guard who was working at club "Six" on the night Grady was murdered responded to the reports in a conversation with Ynet, explaining that the guards had rushed to get those involved in the fights outside the club.
He further said that his pain goes out to the family: "I fought to save the soldier's life, but it happened in seconds. I'm sad and it pains me immensely that I was unable to save his life, although I fought so hard. I sometimes ask myself if things could have been done differently, but I know that nothing could have been done differently. Everything happened by surprise and within a few seconds – not even minutes."
The security company "Araks" that provides security services to the Ra'anana club, said that the four guards had been operating according to regulations.
