Leader Of Gang That Killed Arab Boy Named
The main suspect in the murder of 16-year-old Mohammed Abu Khdeir is an eyeglasses salesman with a small store in the haredi Jerusalem neighborhood of Geula and a history of mental illness.
Above: Yosef Chaim Ben David
Leader Of Gang That Killed Arab Boy Named
Shmarya Rosenberg • FailedMessiah.com
The main suspect in the murder of 16-year-old Mohammed Abu Khdeir is an eyeglasses salesman with a small store in the haredi Jerusalem neighborhood of Geula, Ha’aretz reported.
Yosef Chaim Ben David, who lived in the settlement of Adam near Jerusalem, reportedly picked up the other two suspects, both 16-year-old minors, in his car in the pre-dawn hours of July 2 and drove through East Jerusalem looking for someone vulnerable enough to kidnap easily.
In Shuafat they saw Abu Khdeir sitting on the steps of his family’s electronics store, waiting for his father. The three kidnapped the boy – who looked much younger than 16 – and drove him to the Jerusalem Forest.
Once there, Ben David hit Abu Khdeir on the head with a wrench while his two accomplices kicked the boy.
Then they covered Abu Khdeir with gasoline and burned him alive.
Some of Ben David’s customers reportedly claim he is a nice man and say he has no known ties to right wing extremists.
Ben David studied in an unnamed in a yeshiva in Jerusalem’s Har Nof neighborhood.
Ben David has obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD).
Approximately one and half years ago, he told the psychiatrist treating him that he sometimes had thoughts of killing his baby daughter, and tried to strangle her once. The psychiatrist reported that to police and Ben David was arrested. He was released into a rehabilitative program and was never charged.
His attorneys reportedly intend to plead temporary insanity.
All three suspects reportedly admitted to kidnapping and murder and reenacted the crime for police.
The three suspects also reportedly tried to kidnap a 7-year-old Arab boy in East Jerusalem less than 24 hours before the Abu Khdeir kidnapping. Police apparently mishandled the report of that kidnapping attempt.
"...The three suspects also reportedly tried to kidnap a 7-year-old Arab boy in East Jerusalem less than 24 hours before the Abu Khdeir kidnapping. ..."
So - temporary insanity, recurrent type? These 3 should fry for their crime.
Posted by: S M L | July 21, 2014 at 07:22 AM
@ S M L....they will be tried....this lunatic will be sentenced to a long term....then you will feel better. Too bad for this blog they weren't yeshiva students who had spent a lifetime of Kach indoctrination. Oh well.
Posted by: bendinai | July 21, 2014 at 08:40 AM
OCD generally does not cause someone to think about killing his own baby daughter. And OCD generally does not prompt someone to viciously kidnap and kill another human being (a child, no less). This man must have another severe psychosis of some sort that went undetected, misdiagnosed, and obviously untreated.
Unfortunately, Israel's mental health education and treatment is over 25 years behind America's.
Posted by: Abracadabra | July 21, 2014 at 05:20 PM
Oh, here we go. Johnny Cochrane move over.
"If the tallis don't fit, you must acquit."
Get ready for excuses, equivocations, rationalizations, OCD, Twinkie defense - maybe in Israel it's the sufganiot defense - these guys are going to get off.
This is a shame because we have the moral high ground - this is a disgusting crime and the world must see that justice is served.
Posted by: Broadway Ali | July 21, 2014 at 07:39 PM
What happeded to this case? It's almost a year later and no news on it. Israeli justice system on recess?
Posted by: Steve B | April 17, 2015 at 03:31 PM