Man charged with murder in missing pregnant wife case

A resident of the northern city of Nazareth was charged on Sunday by the Northern District Court with murdering his pregnant wife, even though her body has not been found.

Awni Amer Ziadat, 23, is accused of murdering his wife, Ahlam Ziadat, who was in the advanced stages of pregnancy, on November 24 during a short vacation in the nearby city of Nazareth Illit and subsequently hiding her body, the Justice Ministry said.

Ziadat then reported that his wife had been kidnapped. She has still not been found. However, the prosecution said they had evidence that he killed her and buried the body.

Ziadat reportedly plotted his wife’s murder for some time, as he was afraid she would leave him and prevent him from seeing their child after it was born.

After arriving at a vacation rental in Nazareth Illit, Ziadat allegedly choked his wife to death.

Following the murder, Ziadat is reported to have driven to his sister’s home in Nazareth and requested a hoe with which to hide the body. After he concealed the body, he returned to his sister’s house and boasted that he had choked his wife to death and that her body would never be found.

The next day, Ziadat visited his wife’s mother and sister, and told them that she had been kidnapped. He also went to the police, to whom he reported the fabricated kidnapping.

In its statement, the Justice Ministry did not say what information led to Ziadat’s arrest.

Ziadat will remain in custody until the end of the legal proceedings. In addition to murder, he is also being charged with obstruction of justice and for making false statements.