Father who slit American-Israeli kids’ throats convicted of murder
Avi Levy refuses to cooperate with court proceedings; prosecution seeking two life sentences
The Lod District Court convicted a man of murder on Monday for the fatal throat-slashing of his American-Israel children two years ago, rejecting the defense’s plea of temporary insanity.
Avi Levy, convicted of murdering his son Yishai, 12, and daughter Naomi, 10, refused to speak during his trial and refused to stand in court when requested to do so by the presiding judge.
The prosecution, headed by Anna Avidov, is seeking two life sentences for Levy, without the possibility of later reducing the punishment, the Israeli news site Ynet reported.
The sentence will be handed down at the beginning of next month.
Levy was married to the American mother of the two murdered children, Keren, for a number of years. The two reportedly divorced after Levy’s violent fits forced his wife to run away with the children to a women’s refuge.
After the divorce, the two battled over custody of the kids. The court granted custody of the children to the mother and she moved with them to the US.
Levy’s lawyer said that the children’s mother did not abide by the visitation rights granted to the father, who decided to seek revenge against her.
On July 11, Levy went to the airport to pick up his two children, who had come to visit him for the entire summer.
By that time, Levy had already bought the 20-centimeter knife that would become the murder weapon. That evening, Levy took his children back to his father’s apartment in the community of Yashresh in central Israel.
Levy and his children spent the evening in the main home with other family members, before he took them to his little home in the yard of his father’s property.
Once inside his residence, Levy asked his kids to bind their hands, cover their eyes and get onto their knees. Once on their knees, Levy took the blade and slit his children’s throats.
After the act, Levy turned himself in at a nearby police station.
“He entered and coolly asked for an investigator. We asked what he was talking about and he said in a very cold voice that he murdered his two children and if we wanted to arrest and cuff him,” a police officer testified in court.
During the initial investigation, Levy admitted to the crime. However, as court proceedings continued, he became obstinate, and according to reports, refused to work with his defense and the court.
