Makor RishonSecurity11:16

Mother of Murder Victim Slams Judge's 'Complete Disregard' of Evidence

By אלינור פבריקר

Translated & summarized from Makor Rishon by baba

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Hebrew · 14 newsrooms covering

A Jerusalem court judge ruled there is insufficient evidence to charge Agam Tzarfati and Shilat Huta with the murder of Benayahu Razi, suggesting a lesser charge of aiding murder. The judge cited the defendants' open arrival at the scene as evidence the killing was spontaneous. Razi's mother, Dekla Razi, strongly criticized the ruling, calling it a "complete disregard" for the evidence, including the attackers being armed. The defendants deny murder, and a final verdict will be decided by a three-judge panel.

The story in 6 lines · by baba

A judge ruled insufficient evidence exists to charge Agam Tzarfati and Shilat Huta with murder.
The judge suggested a lesser charge of aiding murder, citing the defendants' open arrival at the scene.
Benayahu Razi's mother, Dekla Razi, called the judge's reasoning "delusional" and a "complete disregard" for evidence.
The defendants deny the murder charge and claim they were in an abusive relationship.
A hearing on November 22 will consider releasing the defendants to house arrest.
The original murder indictment remains, with a final verdict pending.

Mother of Murder Victim Slams Judge's 'Complete Disregard' of Evidence — Editorial illustration generated by baba News, not a photograph of the event.

A Jerusalem District Court judge has ruled that there is insufficient evidence to charge two women with the murder of Benayahu Razi, suggesting instead a lesser charge of aiding murder. Arrest Judge Elad Persky stated that the defendants, Agam Tzarfati and Shilat Huta, did not appear to have arrived at Razi's apartment with the intent to kill, citing their open arrival without masks and without attempting to hide from security cameras as evidence that the event escalated spontaneously.

This decision has angered Razi's mother, Dekla Razi, who vehemently criticized the judge's reasoning in an interview. "These are delusional statements, a complete disregard for how they arrived and that they arrived equipped with knives, razors, and more," she stated, expressing shock and dismay at the ruling. She added that she hopes the main three-judge panel will not be swayed by the arrest judge's comments and will make the correct decisions based on a fuller understanding of the case.

The judge has referred the two defendants for probation service reports ahead of a November 22 hearing to consider their release to house arrest. Tzarfati and Huta have consistently denied the murder charge, claiming they were themselves in an abusive relationship. The original indictment charging them with premeditated murder remains in place, with the final verdict to be determined after the evidence phase by the three-judge panel.

Dekla Razi recounted the complex and fraught relationship between her son and Tzarfati, which included mutual legal complaints and a restraining order issued by Benayahu. She described Tzarfati's behavior as obsessive after her advances were rejected, leading to police complaints that she felt were not adequately addressed. "She was a first-degree disturbed individual, and we did everything legally to keep her away, but it didn't help, and in the end, the tragedy occurred," Razi said, expressing that while she should have perhaps foreseen the danger, she never imagined it would end in murder.