Tense Courtroom Confrontation Erupts Over Murdered Woman's Threat Trial

A tense confrontation erupted at the Rishon LeZion Magistrates' Court between the mother of the late Lia Cohen Malka and Chen Cohen, her estranged husband, who is suspected of ordering her assassination. Lia Cohen Malka was tragically killed on June 4 when a powerful explosive device planted beneath her car seat detonated as she drove to work in Tel Aviv.

Courtroom Confrontation and Indictment

During the hearing, Yehudit Malka, the victim's mother, shouted at Chen Cohen, asking why he killed her daughter. Cohen bizarrely retorted, "You killed her." Relatives wept in the courtroom, with one family member shouting, "You left a little girl to see what kind of father she has." Although Cohen was initially arrested hours after the bombing, he maintained his right to silence and was released after nearly a month in custody as the murder investigation reached a dead end.

"Her murder was written on the wall," said Yakov, the victim's father, noting that they had previously filed police complaints.

The indictment filed against the 37-year-old resident does not charge him with the murder itself, but rather with three counts of making criminal threats against Lia and her parents. The prosecution's case relies on dozens of WhatsApp voice notes and text messages, including 95 messages sent to Yakov within a span of less than three hours, containing severe threats such as "tomorrow is your judgment day" and "eye for an eye."

Legal Proceedings and Future Hearings

Defense attorneys Rais Abu Seif and Amir Kimhi requested a postponement of the formal reading of the indictment to review the investigative materials. Magistrates' Court Judge Tal Ostfeld granted the request, rescheduling the arraignment for November 2026, when the defendant must officially enter a plea.