Mother Confronts Ex-Partner in Court Over Daughter's Murder

The mother of Lia Malka, Judith Malka, confronted her daughter's ex-partner, Chen Cohen, in court, shouting "Why did you murder my daughter?" Cohen is accused of threatening Lia and her parents. The indictment does not attribute his involvement in the murder of Hodaya Ran. During the court hearing, Lia's family members directly addressed Cohen, asking "Why did you do this?" Cohen responded, "Did I do it? You murdered her." Family members continued to accuse him, stating, "How much will your daughter suffer because of you? You did this, you ensured it." Another relative remarked, "You left a small child to see what kind of father she has." A friend of Lia's also spoke to Cohen, highlighting their young daughter and questioning his actions and the future she would face seeing videos about him. The friend recalled a conversation with Lia where she tried to warn her about Cohen, but Lia expressed trust and love for him, believing everything would be alright. The friend lamented that Lia's daughter would now suffer. The court proceedings revealed 95 text messages sent by Cohen in under three hours, containing threats such as "Tomorrow is your judgment day," "An eye for an eye," and "I will sit on her for 200 years." Lia's father, Yaakov, stated that about two to three months before the murder, he had filed a complaint with the police in Rishon Lezion, presenting voice messages and WhatsApp messages as evidence, and declared, "Her murder was written on the wall." Cohen and Lia lived separately, and they were involved in a dispute over visitation rights for their two-year-old daughter, who was living with Lia's parents. Approximately three weeks prior, during a custody hearing, Lia's family and friends clashed with Cohen, leading to a disturbance where one individual threw a punch and others hurled curses. The court session was postponed until November. The accusations leveled against Cohen in court underscored the disparity between the charges he faces and the unresolved questions surrounding Lia's death. The court is set to rule on the threats, while the question of responsibility for the murder remains central to the family's grief and accusations.