Man Released From Prison Kills Elderly Relative’s Foreign Caregiver in Jerusalem Home

The State Prosecutor's Office filed a murder indictment on Friday against 31-year-old Avivor Zaken from Eilat, accusing him of intentionally killing Rajib Acharya, an Indian caregiver for his grandfather. The killing occurred just six days after Zaken was released from a lengthy prison term for a previous violent incident. The indictment, submitted to the Jerusalem District Court by attorney Jenny Avni of the Jerusalem District Prosecutor's Office, details that on July 23 Zaken visited his grandparents’ home in the Katamon neighborhood of Jerusalem for lunch. After the meal, when the caregiver went to rest in his room, Zaken entered and during a conversation decided to kill him. Zaken allegedly stabbed Acharya multiple times in the neck, chest, ear, and nose with a sharp object, intending to cause death. The victim struggled and cried out, but Zaken lied to his grandparents, claiming the noises came from the television. When Acharya tried to flee to the living room, he collapsed and died shortly after from severe blood loss. Following the murder, Zaken falsely told his grandparents that Acharya had committed suicide, moved the bloodied rug and victim to avoid staining, changed his shirt, washed his hands, and calmly left the house, even kissing his grandparents goodbye. Zaken took the blood-stained shirt and the murder weapon with him. Attorney Avni condemned the act, highlighting the victim’s sacrifice in coming to Israel to care for an elderly person and the cold-blooded nature of the crime committed in the grandparents’ home during daylight. The police investigation was led by the Jerusalem District Central Unit, with investigator Yitzhak Dahan emphasizing the swift and professional work that led to Zaken’s arrest and the solid evidentiary basis for prosecution. Zaken remains in custody pending trial.