Nearly two weeks after the death of Shalom Nissim in Petah Tikva, initially thought to be a suicide but later reclassified as a suspected homicide, authorities on Sunday identified model Leen Peer, 31, as one of four suspects in the case.
Peer, born Lydia Povirski, was previously known for speaking out against modeling agent Shai Avital, who was later convicted in a plea deal on sexual assault charges involving two complainants. In 2023, Peer publicly criticized the leniency of Avital’s house arrest and expressed fear of retribution.
She is now under arrest along with three men: David Kricheli, Maor Elisha and Bar Otmazgin. All four were detained following the discovery of Nissim’s body beneath the balcony of Peer’s apartment. Though the death was initially ruled a suicide, findings from a forensic autopsy shifted the investigation toward suspected murder.
According to police, the suspects were allegedly using drugs in Peer’s apartment when Nissim, the son of a man serving a life sentence for a 2001 murder, arrived and a violent altercation broke out. Investigators believe Nissim was assaulted, stabbed, sprayed with pepper spray and then thrown from the balcony.
Elisha, 39, and Otmazgin, 29, had their detention extended last week by a Petah Tikva court. Peer, in whose apartment the incident occurred, and Kricheli also remain in custody. Police say all four are suspected of premeditated murder and conspiracy to commit a crime.
During a court hearing Thursday, a police representative stated that drugs were found at the scene and described the apartment as the site of a “drug party.” Authorities say the investigation has strengthened the suspicions against all four individuals.
In court, Otmazgin’s attorney argued his client had no prior conflict with the victim and had arrived at the apartment for a party, unaware of the events that had taken place. He denied any involvement and said his client woke up to find the victim gone.
Peer’s attorney, Anat Yaari of the Public Defender’s Office, said her client is a “normative young woman with no criminal record” who was caught in a dispute among criminals. Peer has denied the allegations and given her version of events to investigators.
At least one of the suspects is believed to have had a romantic or sexual relationship with Peer. The defense also raised a past incident in which another man reportedly arrived at Peer’s apartment and was stabbed under similar circumstances.
In previous interviews, Peer spoke candidly about the lasting trauma of her experience with Avital and her struggle to rebuild trust and mental health. “He murdered my soul,” she said in 2023. “There was no knife, but the scars remain.”