Prosecutors on Wednesday requested that the Tel Aviv District Court acquit Sigal Itskovitch, 33, of murdering her 6-year-old son Liam, citing psychiatric evaluations that determined she was in the midst of a psychotic episode at the time of the crime.
Instead of a prison sentence, the prosecution asked the court to commit Itskovitch to a psychiatric hospital for 25 years. The court is expected to announce its decision on Sunday.
During the hearing, Itskovitch admitted to the facts in the indictment, describing her erratic behavior on the day of the killing. "I changed clothes, went out with an ax toward the mall, chased a passerby, struck a Mercedes car hood with the ax, confronted a guard, stripped and performed obscene gestures," she said.
The judge questioned why authorities had not intervened earlier, noting a 2019 incident when Itskovitch climbed onto a roof with Liam, then a baby, and asked if the murder could have been prevented. The prosecutor did not provide an answer.
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The murder took place in July of last year, when Liam’s body was found in the family’s Herzliya home, along with the family dog, Buffy, who was also killed.
According to the indictment, "Liam suffered at least 15 slash wounds to his body, arms and face as a result of his mother's stabbings." The indictment further detailed that Itskovitch repeatedly stabbed her son with an 8-inch kitchen knife "until the knife broke."
After stabbing her son in the bathroom, she moved to the living room, where the injured family dog was howling in pain from earlier stabbings. Fearing the neighbors might hear the howls, she stabbed the dog dozens of additional times.
She then walked toward a nearby mall, frightening passersby and attempting to attack a security guard before being arrested. The boy’s grandmother later discovered the crime scene.
During her interrogation, Itskovitch confessed to the horrific acts and expressed remorse. When asked why she killed her son, she said: "I don’t know what happened to me. Maybe a demon possessed me. I was in a frenzy; everything went black before my eyes, and a voice told me to do it. I stabbed them quickly—my son and the dog—grabbed the ax, and left the house without knowing what I was doing. I ran into the street, completely confused, until they stopped me."
Throughout the legal proceedings, defense attorneys argued that Itskovitch was in a severely disturbed mental state, but the prosecution initially pursued a harsh sentence. The case shifted when psychiatric evaluations confirmed her diminished responsibility. Itskovitch claimed she had experienced hallucinations, including conversations with aliens and beliefs of being abducted by a spaceship.
Legal experts say the court’s ruling could set a precedent for cases involving claims of mental incapacity.
Liam’s father, Doron Hess, who was not home at the time, described the moment he realized what had happened, recalling how he collapsed upon seeing a search and rescue vehicle.
He pointed at the vehicle and asked a police officer, "Is it Sigal?" The officer replied, "No," prompting Hess to realize the truth and collapse to the ground. "There was a pickup truck on the path," Hess said. "They sat me in the trunk, and an investigator took my statement on the spot. They also took my cell phone. They told me I didn't have to hand it over, but I did. To this day, they still have it, along with the computer, smartwatch and passport. That’s the procedure."