The Tel Aviv District Court on Tuesday convicted Salomon Madmon of aggravated murder in the June 2022 killing of Yossi Yusifia, the father of his daughter-in-law. The judges said Madmon had not accepted his daughter-in-law’s wish to separate from his son, came to Yusifia’s building in Ramat Gan armed with a handgun, and shot him dead in front of a neighbor.
Presiding judge Yosef Toff said: “We heard all the evidence and the defendant’s version and reached the conclusion that we convict him of all the offenses, aggravated murder, weapons offenses and threats.” The aggravated murder conviction carries a potential life sentence.
According to the court findings, on June 18, 2022, Madmon drove to Yusifia’s building, waited a few minutes, then took a bag with a gun from his trunk and went inside. Yusifia had just returned from synagogue with a neighbor and was waiting in the lobby for the elevator. After a resident opened the door for Madmon, he confronted Yusifia, demanded to see his grandchildren, and after an exchange between them, the two entered the elevator. When they reached the sixth floor, Madmon took the gun out of the bag, loaded a magazine, and fired six times at Yusifia’s face and upper body, killing him at the scene.
At the time, Yusifia’s wife, daughter, and grandchildren were in the apartment. They opened the door after hearing the shots and saw Madmon holding the gun. The indictment said he pointed the weapon at his daughter-in-law and her mother, but the mother pulled her daughter inside and quickly shut the door. Shortly afterward, Madmon called Magen David Adom and said, “I killed a person.”
The evidence also included text messages Madmon sent Yusifia before the murder, including: “Well done, you pray while destroying families. I swear on my parents’ grave, you will pay,” and later, “In the name of God, how can you live with this?” Another message said, “I always ignored the warnings, for the sake of our children’s family’s peace I always gave in.” In 2023, Herzl Shamami, 70, of Hadera, was also convicted for supplying Madmon with the STAR pistol and ammunition, and was sentenced to 40 months in prison. Prosecutor Lihi Malzman said the court rejected Madmon’s attempt to evade responsibility by claiming intoxication, and the prosecution plans to seek compensation for the family in addition to the life sentence provided by law.
