Burglar gets life sentence for stabbing farmer to death

A burglar who stabbed a 61-year-old man to death during a 2012 robbery was sentenced Thursday to life in prison, after he was found guilty of murder last month.

The Lod District Court handed down the sentence to Nazareth resident Amar Abu Dakah, 28, for the murder of Itzik Algabi in the rural community of Avihail on the outskirts of Netanya.

Algabi was stabbed to death by burglars who had broken into his daughter’s house, located on a plot of land he owned. He was attacked after encountering the thieves, who fled the scene in a car.

Three other men also received sentences based on their levels of involvement.

Hadi Mussa, 23, received 13 and a half years in prison after signing a plea bargain with the state prosecution and admitting to murder.

Another member of the group was found guilty of burglary and received a four-year prison sentence, while the getaway driver will serve two years. Those two people had turned state’s witness.

In addition to his life sentence, Dakah will also have to pay a total of NIS 688,000 ($177,000) in compensation to the family: NIS 258,000 to Algabi’s wife, NIS 100,000 to each of his four children and NIS 10,000 to each of his three grandchildren.

“The victim left behind him a bereaved widow, children and grandchildren. His death left a huge vacancy for the family and a financial burden as he was the family’s sole earner,” said the judge.

Algabi, a famer and long-time resident of Avihail, was missing for a number of hours before his family found him in the courtyard in a pool of blood. Police initially suspected that his killing was an act of terrorism and engaged in a massive manhunt for the perpetrators.

Ilan Ben Zion contributed to this report.