Police Uncover Major Contradictions in Testimonies of Eldar Dayan’s Suspected Murderers

Israeli police investigating the murder of 23-year-old Eldar Yitzhak Dayan from Dimona have revealed significant contradictions and inconsistencies in the testimonies of the two main suspects, who were close friends of the victim. The investigation focuses on why the three entered an open area near a gas station and why the suspects claim they split up after abandoning their vehicle there. Communication with Dayan was lost shortly after entering the area, and his body was later found in the same location.

The suspects stated they fled into the open area because a police patrol car arrived, fearing arrest due to an earlier altercation with five youths from Petah Tikva. They said they split up in panic and, unable to find Dayan, returned home by public transport. However, police records show the patrol car arrived about 30 minutes after the three had already entered the area, undermining the suspects’ claim that they fled because of the police presence.

Another critical discrepancy involves one suspect’s mobile phone. Initially, he claimed to have lost it during the fight or while walking in the area, but the phone was later handed over to investigators by his lawyer, revealing it had been kept at his family home. Authorities suspect the delay was used to delete crucial evidence from the device to obstruct the investigation.

In the coming days, police plan to conduct confrontations between the two main suspects and the five youths involved in the prior altercation. Testimonies from these youths suggest that before the fight, one suspect smashed the vehicle’s window and threatened Dayan with murder, strengthening the severe suspicions against the two friends.

The complex investigation, led by the Sharon District’s Central Unit, also examines whether the suspects knowingly abandoned Dayan while he was seriously injured. The combination of contradictory accounts, incriminating timing, deleted phone evidence, and threats made that night places the two suspects at the center of the case.