Police solve murder of 75-year-old Jaffa woman
The ex-wife of the suspected killer of Shoshana Levy knew the victim. In December 2010, she came to Levy's home with her ex-husband. He hid, then attacked her and choked her to death. Police and the IDF have arrested suspects in Qalqilya
The murder nearly a year and a half ago of Jaffa resident Shoshana Levy, 75, has been solved, police announced Sunday morning.
The main suspects in the case are Omar Koran, from Qalqilya, and his ex-wife, Samara Abu-Hamad.
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Levy's body was found by her grandson in December 2010, who entered her apartment through a window when she failed to open the door. Levy's hands and feet were bound, and a rag had been stuffed into her mouth. Her body showed signs of violence, and evidence in the apartment indicated that she had struggled.
Detectives at the murder scene. (Photo: Moti Kimchi)
Maj.-Gen. Gadi Eshed of the Tel Aviv District Police Central Unit led the investigation, which led them to Abu Hamad, who lived in Levy's neighborhood and whom the victim had asked to assist her with social security benefits. Police surmised that since Levy's home hadn't been broken into, she must have known her attackers.
The investigation led police to a Jaffa family, who were accordingly tailed, revealing connections with a number of clans in Qalqilya. Last week, a team of Central Unit detectives and 80 IDF soldiers led by Chief Superintendent Yoav Kotler raided the clans' compounds and made arrests. Other suspects were simultaneously arrested in Jaffa.
A few days after the raid, Abu Hamad confessed to the crime. At this point, interrogators under the command of Chief Superintendent Nissim Daoudi realized that the Koran was still not in custody.
Under interrogation, Abu Hamad told police that Koran, her ex-husband, had been heavily in debt and that she had informed him that Levy kept money in her house.
The day of the murder, Abu Hamad knocked on Levy's door while Koran hid in the stairwell. When the elderly woman opened it, Koran allegedly jumped on her and knocked her to the floor, bound her and strangled her.
Police believe that the two planned to kill Levy from the start, since they hadn't worn masks. In addition to Abu-Hamad's confession, a rope containing DNA evidence from the suspect was recovered at the scene. Koran was finally arrested last Tuesday and continued to deny the accusations, but police were confident that he would be indicted by next week.
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