Haifa Man Indicted for Premeditated Murder of Partner Yana Resinova
Ali Masswada has been indicted in Haifa for the premeditated murder of his partner Yana Resinova, whom he stabbed and attempted to conceal by washing her body. The victim's mother in Belarus is seeking custody of the infant.
An indictment was filed in the Haifa District Court on Thursday against 28-year-old Ali Masswada, charging him with the premeditated murder of his partner and the mother of his child, Yana (Yonit) Resinova. According to the prosecution led by Adv. Meirav Bar, the defendant stabbed Resinova to death in their apartment while their two-month-old infant was present in the room.
Details of the Murder and Evidence Tampering
The incident took place during the night between September 24 and 25 at the couple's home on HaAtsmaut Street in Haifa. Investigators stated that Masswada drove a kitchen knife into Resinova's neck, severing her trachea and major blood vessels, causing massive bleeding. Following the attack, Masswada took the victim's body to the shower and washed away the blood from both her body and his own in an effort to destroy evidence. He also faced an additional charge of obstruction of justice.
After washing the scene, Masswada carried Resinova's body outside the apartment building and called emergency services without detailing the nature of the emergency. Police bodycam footage revealed that he failed to open the building's main entrance, which was eventually unlocked by a neighbor. Responding officers found Resinova pulse-less in the stairwell and initiated CPR, with Masswada joining the resuscitation efforts to simulate an attempted rescue. Resinova was pronounced dead at Rambam Health Care Campus.
Investigation and Motive
During interrogations, Masswada provided contradictory versions of events, initially claiming that Resinova had acted violently, threatened their infant, and accidentally fallen on the knife. However, during a covert conversation with a police informant in his holding cell, Masswada confessed to the murder, admitting that he had planned the crime in advance due to a toxic and violent relationship. Prosecutors noted that the motive stemmed from severe marital tension, fueled by the defendant's groundless suspicions of infidelity and disputes between the victim and Masswada's family.
Friends of the victim testified to a sustained pattern of jealousy and abuse. Maria, a friend of Resinova, recounted that a week before the murder during a trip to Eilat, Resinova revealed that Masswada had beaten her and smashed her phone over jealousy. Another friend, Diana, corroborated that Resinova had previously suffered physical abuse. Resinova, who immigrated to Israel from Belarus, had no local family. Her mother in Belarus has expressed a desperate wish to raise her orphaned grandson, demanding full accountability from the judicial system.
