Man indicted for mom’s murder also suspected of killing patient at Jerusalem psych hospital
Suspect was under police supervision for allegedly murdering his mother at the time of the deadly incident at Kfar Shaul; autopsy reveals 60-year-old victim was beaten to death
A man in his 30s who was recently indicted for the brutal murder of his mother is now suspected of killing a fellow patient at a psychiatric hospital in Jerusalem where he was being held for evaluation, according to Hebrew-language media reports on Thursday.
The suspected homicide occurred Wednesday night at the Kfar Shaul Mental Health Center, a state-run psychiatric institution in the capital.
The suspect, who was at the facility for a court-ordered psychiatric assessment, was caught on security cameras attempting to flee by climbing over fences before being apprehended by police.
An autopsy conducted at the Abu Kabir Institute of Forensic Medicine determined that the victim, a male patient in his 60s, was beaten to death, the Haaretz daily reported.
Police and forensic investigators have opened an investigation into the incident. The Jerusalem Magistrate’s Court extended the suspect’s detention until next Thursday.
“The Health Ministry expresses its condolences to the deceased’s family,” the ministry said in a statement, noting the suspect “was under police supervision at the time of the incident” and had been transferred to police custody for interrogation.
The ministry added it would “examine the circumstances of the incident in coordination with all relevant parties and take action in accordance with the findings of the investigation.”
The suspect had been sent to Kfar Shaul days earlier after being arrested for the murder of his mother. The details of that killing, outlined in the indictment, describe a particularly disturbing and premeditated act.
According to the charge sheet, the man decided late one night to kill his mother without a clear motive. He allegedly used a pocket knife to stab her, then smothered her using a pillow and his legs for approximately four minutes.
After she died, he reportedly attempted to cover up the murder by staging the scene. He poured water into her mouth to make it appear as though she had choked or drowned, turned her body over, cut her clothing, undressed her, and covered her with a prayer shawl (tallit). He then hid the bloodstained knife in his underwear.
Initially, police believed the death may have been from natural causes, but the man later confessed to the killing, according to Haaretz. The suspect is said to be from an unspecified West Bank settlement.
The Times of Israel Community.