The man who is accused of murdering his wife, two kids and a neighbor’s child that was at his house in the northern town of Migdal on Saturday had his remand extended by ten days at the Nazareth Magistrate’s Court on Sunday.
During his remand hearing the suspect said, “I ask God for forgiveness.”
The suspect’s state-appointed attorney, Erez Moskowitz, called the incident “a serious tragedy.” Moskowitz said that the suspect was ordered by the court to undergo a psychological evaluation.
Police are still trying to determine the motive for the murder. The suspect’s name remains under gag order as not to hinder the investigation.
He was arrested in a field some 250 meters from the apartment where the four victims were found stabbed to death.
The victims have been named as 23-year-old Dor Sela, who was the suspect’s wife, and his two children, 2-year-old Yosef and 8 month old Binyamin, as well as Nahman Atia, who lived next door. Nachman’s brother Natan was also stabbed and wounded, but survived.
Natan, 10, told first responders that he played dead and was able to escape the scene through a window with only light wounds.
Israel Atia, the father of the neighbor boys who were in the apartment during the stabbing spree, was quoted by Channel 2 as saying “the father, who is the suspect in the murders, invited the children to a Shabbat meal.”
Dor Sela’s uncle said that there had been no signs that such an incident could occur. “There weren’t any problems, there were no signs. Everything was okay, there was nothing peculiar,” he told Channel 2.
Hashalom Court in Nazareth extended by ten days the arrest of a man who on Saturday murdered three and wounded one in a stabbing attack in the northern city of Migdal.
The suspect admitted to murdering his wife, two sons, and a neighbor’s child, and said he asks G-d to forgive him.
The defense attorney said, “We’re talking about a very difficult tragedy. The court has sent the suspect to the district psychiatrist, who will decide whether he needs to be committed.”
Israel Police have not yet discovered the reason for the murder, and a gag order has been placed on the details.
On Saturday night, 10-year-old Natan Atia, who was visiting the murderer’s family with his older brother 11-year-old Nachman, told investigators he survived by playing dead and then climbing out the window.
Natan’s father said, “I met one of the MDA volunteers… He said, ‘Don’t worry, he [Natan] is lightly wounded. He’s conscious, and he’s been evacuated by helicopter to Rambam Hospital in Haifa … A policeman…couldn’t tell me anything. I saw how serious his face was … I understood he [Nachman] was no longer alive.”