Police lifted the gag order today, announcing details pertaining to the murder of 18-year-old Donna Bennet HY”D six years ago, reporting a suspect is in custody.
Chief Superintendent Avi Algarissi revealed that 34-year-old Radwan Farhan, a resident of Kfar Wadi Hamam is being held for the murder, as well as being suspected of murdering three other people. Farhan is currently serving a jail term for other violent crimes and police report that he admitted to Bennet’s murder and he reenacted the crime.
Algarissi reported that last month, police received “valuable” information that pointed to a string of murders, including Czech tourist Silvia Molrova, 27, who lifeless beaten body was found near Tzalmon River in July 2003, less than a month before Bennet’s disappearance. That intelligence information led to a 22-year-old Tiveria woman, who was questioned in connection to Bennet’s disappearance in the past.
Apparently, Farhan happened upon Molrova near the river and just beat her to death, then dumping her body into the river. The police witness explained that on the night of July 31st, Farhan succeeded in persuading Bennet to get into his vehicle after leaving the taxi, and shortly thereafter, he beat her to death as well.
BACKGROUND
After six years, police on Tuesday released the details of the murder of the 18-year-old, a week after her skeletal remains were found. Bennet was born in Chicago and moved to Israel at age 14. She went to the school in a religious kibbutz dormitory setting in Kibbutz Tirat Tzvi. She then moved to Tiveria.
On the night of July 31st she finished her second day at her new job in the Erez Levanon Restaurant located on the Tiveria boardwalk area and headed to her uncle’s home in Tiveria after midnight, taking a taxi. At about 12:30am, she got out of the taxi at a bus stop near the city’s soccer field, about 100 meters (yards) from her uncle’s home. She never arrived at his home. During the night, officials picked up a signal from her cell phone in the area of Migdal.
Police and hundreds, at times thousands of volunteers were involved in the search, without success. Her skeletal remains were recently found. Today, Tuesday, Israel Police released the details of the case after informing the family on Monday.
DEFENSE ATTORNEY SPEAKS
Attorney Tami Ulman, Farhan’s attorney said that she was introduced to his client on Friday evening. She stated the suspect is “confused” and difficult to understand, appearing to be in a chronic altered mental state. She stated that she is requested he undergo a psychiatric evaluation.
Ulman explained that Farhan was first represented by the public defender, but she is now on the case, having harsh words for police who she said tried to prevent him from meeting with her. Ulman decried all acts of violence and of course murder, but stated every suspect is entitled to legal counsel.
(Yechiel Spira – YWN Israel)
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One Response
I was in northern Israel at the time this girl went missing. Although everyone expected the worst, it is heartbreaking to hear what happened to her. If ANYONE can give me ONE good reason why this yishmaeli savage shouldn’t get the death penalty, I’d like to hear it!