Man convicted of murdering female soldier and teenage boy in 1980s dies in prison at 68

Atif Sabihi, convicted in the 1982 rape and murder of IDF soldier Daphna Carmon and the 1983 murder of teenager Danny Katz, died in prison on Thursday, the Israel Prison Service said.

Sabihi, 68, was serving life sentences at Rimonim Prison over the killing of the two, after being convicted in trials in 1985 and 1987, along with several others. The IPS did not name a cause of death, citing privacy.

Before his arrest, Atif was a tractor driver and worked as a security guard for Israel Railways, the University of Haifa, and construction sites.

Carmon, 21, disappeared on June 11, 1982, in Haifa after visiting the home of a friend’s parents. Three weeks later, her naked corpse was found by a shepherd near the Isfiya Junction.

Police opened a murder investigation, but were unsuccessful in finding leads until another murder in Haifa in December 1983, when Katz, 14, disappeared while on his way to a friend’s house.

After a search, his naked corpse was found by a shepherd three days later near a cave, with signs of having been beaten and choked.

In March 1984, Ahmed Kousli was arrested in connection with Katz’s murder. He offered detectives information about the murder of Carmon in exchange for becoming a state witness.

While the state attorney refused his request, the information offered led to the arrest of brothers Camal and Muhammad Sabihi and their cousin, Atif, over the murder.

During questioning, the three admitted to the murder of Katz, while Atif also admitted to killing Carmon.

In 1985, the Haifa District Court convicted Atif Sabihi along with Kousli, Samir Janama, Fathi Janama, and Ali Janim for Katz’s murder. Then, in 1987, it convicted Kousli and the three Sabihi family members for Carmon’s murder.

The suspects maintained their innocence in the trial, claiming their confessions were given under duress. In a 2000 retrial for Katz’s murder, the accused were convicted again.