Holon man gets 13 years for fatal stabbing over debt

Yosef Haddad, 25, from Holon, was convicted in a plea deal of killing Visko Origashvili with indifference and sentenced by the Tel Aviv District Court to 13 years in prison. The court also ordered Haddad to pay 500,000 shekels to the victim’s family. He had faced a murder charge that could have brought life imprisonment, but the case shifted after evidentiary difficulties emerged during the trial.

According to the original indictment, on November 27, 2023, Haddad arrived with two friends at Origashvili’s home entrance and spoke with him about a financial debt. A witness said the argument over the debt lasted about half an hour. The confrontation later moved to a nearby alley, where Origashvili was shoved into a building entrance and Haddad pulled out a knife and stabbed him twice in the upper body.

Origashvili was taken to hospital in critical condition and died shortly afterward. A key witness for the prosecution was a friend of the victim, who described the stabbing and Haddad’s role in the incident. Haddad, known to police for violent, drug, and property offenses, had previously served about 45 months in prison and was considered for years one of Holon’s prominent criminal figures.

The Tel Aviv District Prosecution had indicted him for murder, but after the defense pointed to evidentiary problems, both sides reached a plea agreement. Haddad expressed remorse during the proceedings, and the court accepted the deal and imposed the prison term and compensation.