Jerusalem couple suspected of murdering, dismembering neighbor
A couple was arrested on suspicion that they had murdered their neighbor in the wake of a dispute, dismembered him and buried him in a nearby garden; several boys who were on their way home in the early morning hours noticed the two pushing a cart with a sealed bag.
The couple, both 44, appeared in front of a judge Tuesday who extended their remand by 10 days and removed the gag order imposed on the investigation.
The investigation began with a report received at the police dispatch on Saturday morning by two boys who live on a nearby street in the southern part of the city. The boys claimed that when they returned to their house in the early morning hours, they noticed the couple pushing a cart with a large black, sealed bag on it. When the police arrived at the scene, they began searching the area based on the description they had been given.
A few hours later, the victim's friend arrived at the police station and reported that for several days he had been trying to reach him, and on that day, he had come to visit him and noticed that the front door of his house was open. The investigators then suspected that there was a connection between the two incidents. Immediately after the investigators arrived at the victim's house, and in light of testimonies collected and evidence gathered, a search warrant was issued for the house of the suspects, who live in close proximity to the victim.
At the same time the search was carried out at the suspects' house, the investigators began scouting the area surrounding their home. During the search, various findings were discovered, including assault tools that were suspected of having been used by the suspects in the murder. The interrogators traced the couple's steps and found a gated garden next to their house with the entrance gate locked. The body was found in the garden and parts of it were buried in a pit dug in the ground.
The police investigation revealed that the couple had been living close to the victim for years. After a dispute broke out between them, the two planned to hurt the man and kill him. They then dismembered him and on Saturday morning, they took out the body and its parts, wrapped in dark trash bags. Using a cart, they led the body to the garden. The suspects dug a hole in the ground and threw the victim's body parts into it. They covered the hole and covered their tracks.
A few hours later, the couple was arrested and brought for interrogation in the central police unit, during which they implicated themselves in the murder. Their remand has been extended and the police investigation continues. The police said it was one of the most horrific and shocking murders committed with cold-blooded cruelty: "The suspects brutally murdered and then concealed evidence."
(Translated and edited by N. Elias)
