Court orders remand of 88-year-old Rehovot man suspected of murdering wife

A court on Wednesday ordered the remand of a man suspected of murdering his 76-year-old wife in Rehovot the day before.

The suspect, 88, called police Tuesday to tell them his wife was suffering from shortness of breath. He was arrested after emergency teams that arrived at their home in the central city found the woman’s body with signs of violence and surrounded by bloodstains.

The suspect denied wrongdoing during the hearing at the Rishon Lezion Magistrate’s Court, which remanded him into custody for five days while telling police to also investigate “other directions.”

“I loved her, I didn’t touch her,” he said tearfully, according to the Ynet news site.

His daughter, who was present, said “there’s no chance that he murdered mom.”

The court approved a request by the suspect’s lawyer to place a gag order on publishing his name or image.

“He’s a Holocaust survivor. He doesn’t hear and struggles to see,” the lawyer said.

The case was suspected to be the 9th domestic violence killing since the start of the year.