Mom suspected of killing her son says she heard voices of aliens, CIA

A psychiatric assessment of a woman who has reportedly told investigators she murdered her 6-year-old son because she heard alien voices was unable to determine unequivocally whether she is fit to stand trial.

Tel Aviv police received the assessment of Sigal Yana Itzkovich on Monday, a week after she wandered the streets of Herzliya, covered in blood having allegedly killed her son, Liam, and the family dog. Itzkovich, 33, was seen on video wielding an axe and attacking a security guard at a mall, who finally managed to restrain her.

The court-ordered evaluation by the district psychiatrist reportedly said that it is unclear whether Itzkovich is fit to stand trial, and recommended a more in-depth assessment under hospitalization after an indictment is filed.

Reports said that during police questioning Itzkovich claimed that she took drugs and drank nail polish before killing her son, an act that she was said to have confessed to. Itzkovich reportedly told police that she heard aliens who told her that, in cooperation with the CIA, they had planted a chip in her body causing her to commit the murder. She was said to have expressed remorse for the killing, while asserting that she was unaware of her actions at the time.

The Tel Aviv Magistrate’s Court initially rejected a request by Itzkovich’s attorney, Benjamin Malka, that she be assessed for fitness to stand trial and instructed only that the review determine whether she could be held under police arrest conditions.

Malka appealed to the district court, which overturned the lower court ruling and ordered she be immediately sent for a trial assessment.

A police source told Channel 12 that a further assessment could take weeks or months.

Malka said in a statement that he would not discuss the specifics of his client’s health due to matters of confidentiality.

“I have every hope that Siegel will receive the medical treatment she needs and deserves, and that full professional attention will be given to her difficult situation,” he said.

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אישה כנראה בהתקף פסיכוטי רדפה אחר מאבטח עם גרזן, דקרה אותו, לאחר מכן הלכה לכניסה לקניון התפשטה עשתה מדיטציה ודקרה את עצמה בחזה.. pic.twitter.com/afXN3ynCko

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Last week, a source described as acquainted with Itzkovich told Channel 12 that before the killing, she had recently suffered emotional distress but did not reveal what was troubling her.

The source recalled that Itzkovich had said that “she hears all kinds of voices in her head and strange things.” Itzkovich recently became more spiritual, engaging in yoga and meditation, he said.

Itzkovich was arrested Tuesday at the mall, where she lightly injured the security guard who apprehended her.

In a video disseminated on social media, Itzkovich can be seen walking toward the entrance of the mall while holding an axe and intermittently grinning. She is barefoot, and her face and legs are streaked with blood.

She approaches the security guard at the mall and begins attacking him with the axe, but he manages to wrest the axe away from her and call for backup.

Other videos circulating online showed Itzkovich attempting to attack other passersby on her way to the mall. It is not clear whether any of them were injured.

Liam’s body was discovered in the family’s home by his grandmother. His father was serving as a reserve soldier in the Gaza Strip at the time of the killing. Though the family was not known to welfare services, there was reportedly an incident of violence in the past that was resolved by police.

Authorities have refuted rumors that Itzkovich was a survivor of the Supernova music massacre, where invading terrorists led by Hamas killed 364 people on October 7, as part of the Palestinian terror group’s devastating attack on Israel that precipitated the ongoing war in the Gaza Strip.