developing· Security· Updated 19 Oct, 23:33

Murder Charge Weakened Against Two Defendants in Benayahu Raz Case

The Jerusalem District Court ruled on Monday, October 19, 2026, that there is insufficient evidence to charge Agam Zarfati and Shilat Huta with murder in the killing of 19-year-old Benyahu Razi. The court did, however, find prima facie evidence to support charges of aiding and abetting murder. Both defendants have been referred to the probation service for assessments to explore their potential release to alternative detention, such as house arrest, with a hearing scheduled for November 22.

10 newsrooms · 2 languages · since 19 Oct, 23:09

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Murder Charge Weakened Against Two Defendants in Benayahu Raz Case — Illustration by baba

What happened

01The Jerusalem District Court ruled there is insufficient evidence to charge Agam Zarfati and Shilat Huta with the murder of Benyahu Razi.
02The court found prima facie evidence to charge Zarfati and Huta with the lesser offense of aiding and abetting murder.
03Nineteen-year-old Benyahu Razi was fatally stabbed on July 11 in an Airbnb apartment in Jerusalem's Nachlaot neighborhood.
04Both defendants have been referred for probation service reports to assess their potential release to alternative detention before a November 22 hearing.
05Defense attorneys Roi Politi and Omri Stern stated the court accepted that Zarfati did not plan the murder or desire Razi's death.
06The victim's mother, Dekla Razi, condemned the court's decision as outrageous, illogical, and immoral.
07The prosecution alleged the women commissioned the attack, which involved seven indicted individuals, including four minors who carried out the stabbing.

Razi was fatally stabbed on July 11 in an Airbnb apartment in Jerusalem's Nachlaot neighborhood. Investigators suspected that Zarfati, Razi's former partner, and Huta commissioned the attack by influencing minors and Aviyor Sasson to harm Razi. According to Kan News, the prosecution alleged they directed the attackers to the apartment, and Huta let them in, to end violence from their partners. In August, indictments were filed against seven individuals, including Zarfati, Huta, Aviyor Sasson, Linor Sasson, and three minors.

Judge Presky ruled that Zarfati and Huta should not be considered part of the inner circle of the murder, citing weaknesses in the evidence regarding the mental state required for a murder charge. Zarfati's public defenders, Roi Politi and Omri Stern, stated the court accepted their argument that she was not part of the murder plot and did not desire Razi's death. The defense also criticized the Israel Prison Service for allegedly harsh and humiliating treatment of Zarfati since her arrest.

Dekla Razi, the victim's mother, reacted angrily to the ruling, calling the decision outrageous, illogical, and immoral. She defended the prison service's treatment of Zarfati, stating it was a consequence of violating detention rules, and condemned the defendants for smiling and laughing during their court appearances.

Summarized by baba from the reports of 10 newsrooms. Updated 19 Oct, 23:51