Man Charged with Murdering Brother Over Inheritance Dispute

The Haifa District Prosecutor's Office has filed a murder indictment against Ohad Arad, 36, from Binyamina, for allegedly killing his older brother, Asa Arad, 41. The indictment claims Ohad murdered Asa at the family estate in Moshav Ein Ayala, following a long-standing inheritance and financial dispute. Ohad, a father of one with another child on the way, is accused of beating and strangling his brother to death in a caravan where Asa lived near their mother's home.

The alleged murder occurred on the morning of Thursday, July 30. According to the investigation, Ohad arrived at the moshav, entered the caravan, and attacked Asa with the intent to kill. The pathologist's report details numerous injuries, including head and neck trauma, signs of suffocation, a fractured larynx, and bleeding in the tongue and neck muscles, consistent with strangulation.

After the attack, Ohad allegedly left the caravan. He informed his mother that his brother was dead around 12:35 PM. He then left the moshav at 2:28 PM, and his mother called emergency services at 2:55 PM. Paramedics and police found Asa Arad deceased in the caravan.

The investigation, which lasted over a month, included waiting for the autopsy report and a psychiatric evaluation to determine Ohad's mental state at the time of the murder and his fitness to stand trial. The prosecution is seeking to detain Ohad until the end of legal proceedings.

Ohad Arad's attorney, Baruch Geva, denied the allegations, stating his client did not use violence and attempted to perform CPR on his brother. He also contested the motive, claiming past disputes between the brothers had been resolved, even referencing a previous court decision that canceled a conviction against Ohad. The defense plans to thoroughly review the evidence before presenting their arguments in court.

This indictment follows a previous one filed against Ohad in 2022 for charges including breaking and entering, theft, assault, and property damage, allegedly directed at Asa and their mother. That indictment detailed a history of ongoing conflict, including instances where Ohad allegedly broke into Asa's home, stole items, assaulted him, and harassed their mother.