Three charged with aggravated murder over killing of 18-year-old in 2019

Three men are charged with aggravated murder over the killing of 18-year-old Eviatar Azarzar, who was found dead in a pit nearly seven years ago.

Bnei Brak residents Nuriel Hajani, Yehuda Cohen and Israel David are accused of conspiring to murder Azarzar, whom they knew personally. All three defendants have prior convictions for violent crimes, with Hajani having been found guilty of murder.

On December 8, 2019, the trio allegedly lured Azarzar to a field near a cemetery in Ramat Hasharon, just north of Tel Aviv, and shot him dead with a handgun. They fled the scene and left the young man’s body in a ditch, prosecutors write.

After three weeks of searches, his decomposing body was found by a passerby, alongside his scooter.

According to the indictment, the vehicle used by the trio to get to the field was set on fire, either by the defendants or others working on their behalf.

The alleged murderers also disposed of a helmet, gloves, ski mask and lighters that belonged to Azarzar. Hajani and Cohen left Israel soon after the killing, only to return several days later, prosecutors write.

In a request to keep the three in custody until a sentence is handed down, state prosecutors say the defendants sent “false reports” to police about the teen’s disappearance. Hajani went so far as to speak with Azarzar’s mother, claiming he was helping to search for her missing son.

The three are charged in the Tel Aviv District Court with aggravated murder, destroying evidence and obstructing justice.