Three years ago Adir Katz called the Israeli Red Cross (MDA) to say that his wife Dafna Arnan was laying bloody on the couch. After MDA treated her, the police arrested Katz. Investigators claimed that he had beat up his wife with his fists, who had bruises on his arms.
Katz tried to explain that he works in a carpentry shop and received his injuries from there, but was ignored.
The court discovered that Katz suffers from epilepsy, and had poor social skills. But rather than seeing this as a mitigating factor, the prosecutor added it to the factor explaining his “fight” with his wife. Adir said that he had never raised a hand against his wife.
The prosecutor said threatening during the interrogation, “The wounds she had were unquestionably from beatings… what do you make of this… this is a file of murder…”
Katz quivered, “Understand… I was upset with her, I yelled at her, and she fell and hurt herself.. understand the difference…”
The prosecutor pressed him, “Adir, finish up already, you want me to shout at you? Will it help if I shout at you?”
Katz said, “Maybe I did raise my hand against her? You want to force things out of me that I don’t even know…”
In the end, Katz admitted to attacking his wife. but even then he wasn’t clear: “Maybe I pushed her… maybe I was upset and wasn’t aware of what I did.”
Katz was taken for a re-enactment of the crime. Only during the Channel 2 News investigation was it found out that the interrogator who interrogated the suspect accompanied him to the re-enactment against the rule.
The rational for the rule is if that the interrogator is in the area, he might stealthily put an item somewhere that will help the suspect to supposedly remember what he did.
Katz re-constructed the “murder” while his wife’s body was still laying in the salon. Afterwards he signed an admission. The Eilat court convicted him of attacking his wife, gave him life imprisonment, and closed the file.
Then the turning point occurred.
The coroner found that Dafna had died due to heart failure.
The court doctor determined that Dafna had been so agitated when she fell, that it caused heart failure. Lawyer Yarum Halevi presented the investigation recordings to the south district court prosecutor Alon Altman. Altman was shocked when he heard the recordings.
The police and court prosecutor engaged in mutual accusations of malfeasance, after which the case was appealed to the court and Katz was acquitted of causing his wife’s death.
Upon his acquittal, the prosecutor’s office announced, “There is room for the police to learn some lessons in the wake of this case.”
Katz tried to explain that he works in a carpentry shop and received his injuries from there, but was ignored.
The court discovered that Katz suffers from epilepsy, and had poor social skills. But rather than seeing this as a mitigating factor, the prosecutor added it to the factor explaining his “fight” with his wife. Adir said that he had never raised a hand against his wife.
The prosecutor said threatening during the interrogation, “The wounds she had were unquestionably from beatings… what do you make of this… this is a file of murder…”
Katz quivered, “Understand… I was upset with her, I yelled at her, and she fell and hurt herself.. understand the difference…”
The prosecutor pressed him, “Adir, finish up already, you want me to shout at you? Will it help if I shout at you?”
Katz said, “Maybe I did raise my hand against her? You want to force things out of me that I don’t even know…”
In the end, Katz admitted to attacking his wife. but even then he wasn’t clear: “Maybe I pushed her… maybe I was upset and wasn’t aware of what I did.”
Katz was taken for a re-enactment of the crime. Only during the Channel 2 News investigation was it found out that the interrogator who interrogated the suspect accompanied him to the re-enactment against the rule.
The rational for the rule is if that the interrogator is in the area, he might stealthily put an item somewhere that will help the suspect to supposedly remember what he did.
Katz re-constructed the “murder” while his wife’s body was still laying in the salon. Afterwards he signed an admission. The Eilat court convicted him of attacking his wife, gave him life imprisonment, and closed the file.
Then the turning point occurred.
The coroner found that Dafna had died due to heart failure.
The court doctor determined that Dafna had been so agitated when she fell, that it caused heart failure. Lawyer Yarum Halevi presented the investigation recordings to the south district court prosecutor Alon Altman. Altman was shocked when he heard the recordings.
The police and court prosecutor engaged in mutual accusations of malfeasance, after which the case was appealed to the court and Katz was acquitted of causing his wife’s death.
Upon his acquittal, the prosecutor’s office announced, “There is room for the police to learn some lessons in the wake of this case.”
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