"I am sorry I did not sink my teeth into the carotid artery": The chilling testimony of the defendant accused of murdering Rabbi Gueta

Benjamin Friedrich, 36, who studied at the yeshiva of Rabbi Amos Gueta in Netanya, was charged this Thursday with the murder of the rabbi and other offenses.

The investigation into the murder reveals that the knife used to commit the crime was taken by Friedrich from the yeshiva kitchen.

According to the indictment, Friedrich arrived at the rabbi's house with the knife hidden under his clothes and asked to pray near the rabbi's bed. He then pulled out the knife, stabbed the rabbi four times, and fled. After his capture, Friedrich was interrogated four times. At first, he did not cooperate with investigators, but later admitted that he had stabbed the rabbi and even asked if the victim had passed away.

When asked why he committed the murder, he replied that the rabbi was a "false messiah" and added: "The man is playing it very big." When asked by investigators if he felt remorse, he replied:

"I am sorry that I did not tear the rabbi's carotid artery with my teeth; I stuck my fingers into his eyes and caused him blindness."

Advocate Ran Alon, who represents Friedrich, stated: "Alongside the indictment, a request for detention until the end of proceedings was filed. From the detention request itself, a real question arises regarding the mental state of the defendant, both at the time of the act itself and regarding his fitness to stand trial. This is a defendant with a rich psychiatric history against whom proceedings have already been stopped in the past, and he was hospitalized by court order for four years in a psychiatric hospital. The court accepted our request and referred the defendant for a psychiatric evaluation."