Man Accused of Murder Convicted of Horse Theft Amid Investigation Lapses
Translated & summarized from Israel Hayom by baba
Doron Weizman, 54, was convicted of horse theft and burglary from a kibbutz stable, a case marred by police investigation failures including unanalyzed DNA evidence. The conviction comes as he also faces charges for the murder of Caucasus mafia boss Yaniss Yushbayev. Despite defense arguments highlighting investigative lapses, a judge found Weizman guilty based on circumstantial evidence and rejected his testimony. In the murder case, forensic evidence from cigarette butts was crucial for his identification and arrest.
The story in 6 lines · by baba
- Doron Weizman, 54, was convicted of horse theft and burglary from Kibbutz Moran.
- Weizman is also indicted for the murder of Caucasus mafia boss Yaniss Yushbayev.
- Investigative failures in the theft case included unanalyzed DNA evidence from a cigarette butt.
- A judge ruled Weizman guilty of theft despite criticism of police investigation shortcomings.
- Forensic evidence from cigarette butts was key in identifying and arresting Weizman for the murder.
- Weizman's accomplice received a ten-month sentence after confessing to the theft.
Doron Weizman, 54, who was recently indicted for the murder of Caucasus mafia boss Yaniss Yushbayev, was convicted last week in a separate case of burglary and theft. Weizman was found guilty of breaking into a stable in Kibbutz Moran, from which he and an accomplice stole a mare valued at 15,000 shekels and a bridle worth an additional 1,000 shekels. According to the amended indictment, Weizman and his partner, Shimla, entered the kibbutz through the main gate, cut the stable fence, and fled with the horse to an agricultural area. The prosecution's case relied on security camera footage, where three police officers identified Weizman entering through the gate and cutting the fence, as well as phone location data indicating suspicious communication disruptions between the two on the day of the theft.
Weizman's accomplice, Shimla, confessed to the act as part of a plea deal and received a ten-month prison sentence. However, when testifying in Weizman's trial, Shimla attempted to take full responsibility and distance Weizman from the scene. The judge dismissed Shimla's account, deeming it biased and intended to prevent Weizman's conviction.
During the trial, Weizman's public defender, Adv. Avraham Sofer, highlighted several significant investigative failures. The most notable lapse involved a cigarette butt found outside the stable fence. Although an initial test suggested a possible match to Weizman, the police never conducted the necessary follow-up DNA analysis, thus diminishing the evidence's weight. Furthermore, police failed to document their search for the horse at Weizman's property, despite Shimla's claim during interrogation that it was hidden there.
Despite Judge Hochman Amoyal's criticism of the police's shortcomings, she ruled that the circumstantial evidence, when considered together, proved Weizman's guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. The judge rejected Weizman's defense that he was merely checking on his own horses, stating in her ruling that his testimony was evasive and replete with lies. This conviction adds to the serious indictment recently filed against him in the Haifa District Court for the murder of 41-year-old Yushbayev outside a restaurant near Caesarea. The indictment alleges Weizman waited for Yushbayev, followed him, shot him once in the head at close range, and fled in a stolen car with fake license plates. In contrast to the theft case, cigarette butts played a crucial role in the murder investigation, with police successfully extracting forensic evidence and DNA samples from butts and cups left at the scene. This evidence, along with security footage, led to Weizman's swift identification and arrest two days later by special forces while he was hiding in a storage room in Hadera.