Driver convicted of reckless homicide for killing boy, 8, on Yom Kippur

A driver was convicted of reckless homicide Tuesday for running over and killing an 8-year-old boy on Yom Kippur last year in Tel Aviv.

Amir Abu Laben, 21, was also convicted by the Tel Aviv District Court of drug trafficking and possession of a dangerous narcotic as part of a plea deal.

The judge convicted Abu Laben of hitting Itay Margi as the boy crossed Tel Aviv’s Namir Road on his bicycle on October 9, 2019. Margi, who was wearing a helmet, was hit at a pedestrian crossing on the normally busy road, which was almost completely empty due to Israeli taboos against driving on the High Holy Day.

Abu Laben admitted to most of the facts detailed in the indictment in exchange for the removal of two additional charges included in the original charge sheet, obstruction of justice and conspiracy to commit a crime.

He will be sentenced on October 18, when the judge could put him behind bars for up to 12 years.

According to the indictment, “the child’s death was the result of Abu Laben’s actions, his driving the car recklessly and carelessly and with disregard for human life,” speeding on Yom Kippur when he was well aware that pedestrians and cyclists would also be on the road.

Abu Laben, a Ramle resident, admitted he had obtained cocaine and LSD with the intention of selling them in the Tel Aviv area. After completing four sales in Ramat Gan, Petah Tikva and Tel Aviv, he exceeded the speed limit along Namir Road, and, without regard for the safety of others, entered the junction, hitting Margi.

In the moments after the collision, as Margi lay bleeding on the ground, Abu Laben threw the remaining drugs he had in his possession into the bushes on the side of the road, the indictment alleged. Police later found 1.6 grams of cocaine in the shrubs, which they believe was for distribution rather than personal use, as Abu Laben claimed. His fingerprints were reportedly found on the package.

“The defendant took responsibility for the main offense of reckless homicide,” said Abu Laben’s lawyer, Lior Shtelzer‎. “This case isn’t simple, but the defendant chose to take responsibility and confess rather than drag the deceased’s family into a lengthy and painful trial, out of the understanding that his mistakes caused a tragic result.”

The victim’s family didn’t object to the plea bargain, but their lawyer Chai Haber claimed the confession wasn’t genuine and said he would demand a maximal sentence.

“He saved time, but this is definitely not taking responsibility,” he said. “We all remember the conversation that was published in which he didn’t see himself connected to this story and even chose to blame Itay for riding a bike on Yom Kippur.”

Yom Kippur, the Jewish Day of Atonement and the holiest day of the Jewish calendar, is marked by fasting and intense prayer by religious Jews.

Secular Israelis, especially children, are known to take advantage of the dearth of cars on the roads and highways on the somber holiday, filling the streets with bicycles.