Man suspected of strangling 4-year-old nephew to death charged with murder

Prosecution alleges boy was attacked after entering his uncle’s room; motive not given, though suspect had known mental health issues

A man suspected of strangling his 4-year-old nephew to death earlier this month was charged with his murder Thursday at the Jerusalem District Court.

The court imposed a ban on identifying either the victim or the accused, age 27. The incident occurred in the capital’s Ramot neighborhood. The prosecution requested that the alleged killer remain in custody for the duration of the proceedings.

The prosecution alleged that the boy was strangled to death after he entered his uncle’s room. A motive for the alleged murder was not given, though the accused was known to have ongoing mental health issues.

Noticing his absence, the boy’s parents sent his grandparents to look for him in the house. The grandparents found the locked bedroom door, and after gaining entry found their grandson unconscious with strangulation marks on his neck.

After paramedics arrived on the scene, they were briefly able to restore the victim’s heartbeat, but he succumbed to his injuries the next day.

Police scuffle with ultra-Orthodox men in the Jerusalem neighborhood of Ramot on August 15, 2022, during a protest over the autopsy of a 4-year-old boy who was allegedly strangled to death by his uncle a few days before. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

Initially, the prosecution sought to conduct an autopsy on the victim. But after a request from the victim’s family as well as public backlash from sections of the ultra-Orthodox community, the court struck down the plans.

Jewish tradition generally opposes autopsies on the grounds that the human body is sacred and should not be tampered with after death. Exceptions are often made in murder or manslaughter cases and courts have in the past overruled the wishes of families.