Asher Goldstein, 88, has confessed to killing his five-year-old son Saar in 1974, more than 51 years after the boy was reported to have drowned at Coral Island in the Gulf of Eilat. Goldstein was arrested over the weekend on suspicion of murder.
At the time of Saar’s death, it was reported that “the father suddenly noticed his son floating in the water, pulled him out and rushed him to Yoseftal Hospital.” The boy’s death was recorded as a “drowning accident.”
Goldstein voluntarily approached police on Saturday, saying he wanted to clear his conscience. He told authorities that he killed Saar out of pity because the boy suffered from cerebral palsy.
Goldstein, who is terminally ill and suffers from diabetes, appeared handcuffed at a hearing in Eilat Magistrate’s Court on Sunday. He said he had not received his medication and experienced dizziness. The judge ordered the handcuffs removed.
Police said the confession raises questions about the victim’s final moments. “Try to imagine the last seconds of the victim’s life, cruelly ended by his own father,” a police representative said. Defense attorney Nimrod Aviram said Goldstein is elderly, hard of hearing and has no caregiver, describing the case as highly unusual.
Aviram noted that the statute of limitations for the crime expired in 1995. Police requested to extend Goldstein’s detention for nine days, but Judge Anat Greenbaum ordered him held for four more days. Greenbaum said the investigation could still be obstructed and cited Goldstein’s prior conviction for murdering his wife Levana in 1976.
Two years after killing Saar, Goldstein murdered his wife Levana. Her burned body was found in a car on the Arava Road. Initially suspected to be a traffic accident, police later determined that Goldstein staged her death. Israel Omri, an accomplice, was also convicted. Both received life sentences, though Goldstein ultimately served 16 years, released after 11. Omri’s son testified against his father.
Goldstein previously claimed that Levana’s death was accidental, resulting from a dispute in which she fell and hit her head.
Family members described the horror. Levana’s mother said, “I don’t understand how this could happen. Neighbors heard her cries and choking and no one called the police.” Levana’s sister, a nurse, said she identified her sister’s body at Abu Kabir.
Goldstein, a former contractor, faced additional legal troubles after serving his sentence for his wife’s murder. In 2020, he was convicted of assault and threats against a former partner. He reportedly told the court, “I served life in prison, I have no problem serving another life sentence.” He received six months suspended imprisonment.