The prosecution on Thursday filed an indictment against Avinoam Mizrahi, 26-years-old from Moshav Shafir, on the charge of premeditated murder of Moshe Tzabari, whom he is accused of abducting, stabbing, and pushing alive into a deep, abandoned water cistern, causing his death.
According to the indictment, Mizrahi planned the killing in advance, tracked the victim for days across Jerusalem and beyond, and prepared in advance to conceal his actions and destroy evidence.
The victim, Tzabari, was married to Mizrahi’s cousin. At the time of the events, the couple were separated and embroiled in an ongoing dispute, of which Mizrahi was aware, according to the indictment.
Prosecutors allege that on the night of December 7, Mizrahi followed Tzabari from Bat Yam to Jerusalem and later lay in wait near Tzabari’s home in the neighborhood of Pisgat Ze’ev. After disabling his phone and disguising his appearance, Mizrahi allegedly entered Tzabari’s vehicle, concealed identifying features of the car, and forced him to drive out of the city.
The two traveled to a remote area south of Route 35, near the Zoharim youth village, where Mizrahi is accused of stabbing Tzabari in the thigh and cutting both his arms before pushing him alive into a dry water cistern approximately 25 meters deep. The indictment states that Tzabari suffered severe blunt-force trauma and massive blood loss and died as a result of the combined injuries.
After the killing, Mizrahi allegedly drove the victim’s car to Malachim Forest, where he set it on fire in an effort to erase evidence and hinder efforts to locate the victim. He then returned home on foot, a distance of roughly 18 kilometers, prosecutors said.
Charges include murder, arson, kidnapping, destruction of evidence
The indictment charges Mizrahi with murder with aggravating circumstances, kidnapping for the purpose of murder, arson, illegal possession of a knife, destruction of evidence, and violation of privacy, citing prolonged surveillance of the victim prior to the killing.
Alongside the indictment, the prosecution requested that Mizrahi be remanded in custody until the end of proceedings, citing the extreme severity of the alleged acts, the danger he poses to the public, and a concrete risk of flight and obstruction of justice.
In its detention request, the prosecution noted that Mizrahi was found in possession of a one-way airline ticket to Paris dated December 30, which prosecutors say indicates an intention to flee the country if released. Mizrahi has been in custody since December 28.
Attorney Idan Gamlieli, who represents Mizrahi on behalf of the Public Defender’s Office, said, “We are at the very early stages of the legal proceedings. Naturally, we have not yet received the investigative materials. After we receive and study them, we will present Avinoam’s arguments.”
Attorney Ravit Zilberfarb, who represents the victim’s family on behalf of the Justice Ministry’s Legal Aid Department, said the family was “stunned and shaken by the brutal murder, carried out by the cousin of the victim’s estranged wife, without any apparent motive,” and said they trust law enforcement authorities “to fully pursue justice and uncover the truth.” She added that the family is focused on mourning and has asked to refrain from interpretations regarding the circumstances of the killing, which “are not yet fully understood even by the family.”