Teen Charged With Double Murder of Couple in Forest Near Ma'ayan Vered

State prosecutors in Israel have filed a severe indictment against a 17-year-old from Lod, accusing him of the murder of Olga and Ruslan Frihudok in a forest near Ma'ayan Vered. The Central District juvenile court was told that he acted in cold blood, and the charges also include weapons offenses, firing a firearm, robbery and obstruction of justice.

According to the indictment, the teen bought a loaded Glock pistol about six months before the killings for NIS 25,000, hid it at a family farm where he lived, and practiced shooting with it several times. The investigation, which also involved the Shin Bet, found that the case began when Ruslan, who spent his free time searching for antiquities, came to the forest with metal detectors and spoke with the teen about his hobby.

The next morning, Ruslan returned with his wife Olga and another argument broke out after the teen demanded the metal-detecting equipment. Prosecutors say the quarrel led him to decide to kill both of them. He left on an all-terrain vehicle, took the hidden gun from the family farm, came back quickly, approached their car and fired one shot into Ruslan’s head from about two meters away, then immediately shot Olga in the head.

While the couple lay dying in the car, he stole two metal detectors, mobile phones and credit cards, then fled and discarded his bag and phone nearby. Hikers later found the victims, and medics pronounced them dead at the scene. Afterward, he hid the gun and magazine, and allegedly called a friend from Judea and Samaria to help move the victims’ car into the West Bank, but that plan was not carried out. Prosecutors asked that he remain in custody until the end of proceedings, and the court imposed a sweeping gag order on identifying details.