State prosecution will not appeal acquittal of Roman Zadorov in murder case

The state prosecution has decided not to appeal the acquittal of Roman Zadorov, who was released from custody earlier this year after a retrial for the 2006 murder of 13-year-old schoolgirl Tair Rada.

The decision not to appeal was made “after a careful in-depth review of the verdict” in Zadorov’s case, the prosecution says.

The gruesome murder in a school bathroom in the northern town of Katzrin has long been the subject of intense debate online and in the media, with many believing the now 45-year-old Zadorov was not the killer and had been convicted based on insufficient circumstantial evidence, while ignoring evidence that indicates the presence of another person at the scene. Others are convinced the evidence, while incomplete, leaves little room for doubt he was the culprit.

In March, Zadorov was released after serving more than a decade behind bars following a life sentence.