A resident of East Jerusalem is expected to be charged with murdering his 3-year-old son, police said Tuesday. Investigators believe the father suffocated the toddler with a plastic bag.
The case began on June 6, when police received a report that a baby had been brought to a Jerusalem hospital in critical condition. Despite the efforts of medical staff, the child was pronounced dead. Although the autopsy did not itself strengthen the murder suspicion, investigators later focused on the boy’s father, who lives in the Ras al-Amud neighborhood of East Jerusalem.
Police said the father was questioned over the past few weeks, and eventually became tied to the acts and reenacted them. According to the investigation, he used a plastic bag to choke the child. The prosecution is expected to file a statement of intent later Tuesday, and an indictment is expected in the coming days. Police will seek to keep him in custody until the end of the legal proceedings.
Lawyers Idan Gamlieli and Fares Mustafa Ali, who represent the father for the Public Defender’s Office, said: “This is a very serious tragedy. We are at the early stages of the legal process. After the indictment is filed and we receive the investigation materials, we will study them and consider our legal steps.”
