Parents Outraged as Killer of Teenager Granted Early Release in Israel
The parents of Adir Roheker, who was fatally stabbed by another minor at a boarding school in 2018, expressed outrage after a parole board granted the killer early release. The inmate, sentenced to 10 years, will serve the remainder of his term in a supervised hostel.
Nearly nine years after their 16-year-old son Adir was fatally stabbed at a boarding school, Ofra and Shimon Roheker are expressing outrage following the decision to grant early release to his killer. The inmate, whose name remains under a legal gag order because he was a minor at the time of the 2018 offense, was originally sentenced to 10 years in prison and still had roughly a year and three months left to serve.
The fatal altercation occurred on February 6, 2018, at the "Kanef shel Ahava" boarding school in southern Israel. According to the indictment, the confrontation began in the dining hall during dinner cleanup over a discarded piece of bread. Following verbal insults and a brief physical scuffle that was initially broken up by a staff member, the defendant retrieved a kitchen knife. As Adir turned his back and began to walk away, the minor approached him from behind and stabbed him in the neck. Adir collapsed and died before reaching safety.
The victims' parents voiced deep frustration over the justice system's leniency. "Our son is six feet under while this person walks free," said Shimon Roheker, noting that Adir was an ambitious youth who aspired to serve in an elite naval commando unit. In 2021, the family reached a settlement in a civil lawsuit against the state, receiving 1.2 million shekels in compensation without the state admitting negligence in failing to protect the boy.
The parole board, headed by retired Judge Yosef Ben-Hamo, decided to release the prisoner to a supervised hostel rather than directly home. Defense attorneys Alina and Lior Karsanti emphasized that their client underwent extensive rehabilitation at Mount Hermon Prison and demonstrated genuine remorse. Meanwhile, attorney Haya Mana, representing the grieving family, criticized the decision to grant early release despite assessments indicating a moderate level of public danger.
