All Suspects in Eldar Dayan Case Released to House Arrest Amid Murder Charge Doubts

The Petah Tikva Magistrate's Court ordered the release of all seven suspects in the Eldar Dayan murder case to four days of house arrest on Monday. Despite a forensic report from the Abu Kabir Institute stating that the cause of Dayan's death could not be determined, police have charged two suspects, Omri Peretz and Maxim Barberman, with attempted murder. The police had requested a 14-day house arrest, but the judge imposed stricter conditions including full house arrest with intermittent supervision until August 27, a 30-day ban on contact with involved parties, and mandatory police appearances.

During the hearing, defense attorney Chen Baruch questioned how attempted murder charges could be justified without a clear cause of death. Police responded that forensic findings, not yet disclosed, might support the charge, and the investigation is ongoing. Defense lawyers criticized the police for lacking evidence to justify the charges or extend detention. Attorney Rinat Siboni noted the police treated the hearing as a detention extension and introduced the attempted murder charge orally.

The investigation centers on events before Dayan's disappearance and the discovery of his body near a gas station three weeks ago. Initially considered missing, Dayan and his two friends, Peretz and Barberman, were involved in a fight with five young men from Petah Tikva. Surveillance footage showed Dayan injured after a provocation. Dayan's friends claimed he died from brain hemorrhage due to the assault, initially implicating the five men. However, police found inconsistencies in Peretz and Barberman's testimonies, including discrepancies about police arrival times and the whereabouts of Peretz's phone, which was found at his home with suspected deleted data.

Additional testimony revealed Barberman had smashed a car window and threatened Dayan before the fight. These incidents are being reexamined given the inability to legally link the suspects' actions to Dayan's death. Police acknowledged the evidence is insufficient to charge murder conclusively, stating they could not build a solid case for murder with current proof. The suspects remain under house arrest as the investigation continues.