Jerusalem Indictment Filed for Aggravated Murder Over Financial Debt
The Jerusalem District Court received an indictment against a 48-year-old resident for the aggravated murder of Fatima Rajabi over a financial debt, followed by hiding her body in a barrel.
The State Attorney's Office has filed an indictment in the Jerusalem District Court against Salah Othman, 48, a resident of the A-Tur neighborhood in Jerusalem, for the aggravated murder of the late Fatima Rajabi about three weeks ago. Against the background of a financial debt owed to the victim, Othman planned her murder in advance and purchased a metal barrel to conceal her body. He subsequently met with her, struck her in the head with a hammer, and caused her death. The prosecution has asked the court to order Othman's detention until the conclusion of legal proceedings against him.
Financial Motive and Premeditation
According to the indictment, filed by attorney Nati Ben Hamo from the Jerusalem District Attorney's Office, Othman was a frequent gambler and accumulated heavy debts over the years. The victim, whom he knew through his work as a technician, had lent him a cumulative sum of approximately 90,000 shekels after he told her the money was intended to establish a business for selling and repairing washing machines. In reality, Othman used the funds for gambling.
When the victim later demanded the repayment of the remaining debt, Othman decided to murder her a few days prior to the incident. To that end, he purchased a metal barrel, which he hid in a shed in his yard, with the intention of concealing her body inside it following the murder.
The Murder and Concealment of Evidence
About three weeks ago, Othman met with the victim in al-Eizariya and drove her toward his home in A-Tur, telling her he would bring her the money from there. Upon arriving near his home, after the victim continued to demand her money, Othman retrieved a hammer from the trunk and struck her forcefully in the head. Noticing that she was still moving, he struck her in the head a second time. As a result of his actions, the victim died shortly thereafter.
"The State Attorney's Office requested that the court order the defendant's detention until the end of the legal proceedings, citing extreme severity, premeditation, and deliberate concealment of evidence." — State Attorney's Office
Following the murder, Othman drove to various locations in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv with the victim's body in his car. He subsequently placed her body into the barrel he had purchased in advance and poured sealing material over it to prevent its discovery. In addition, he took the victim's debit card and withdrew 15,000 shekels from her account. Othman also hid the hammer and discarded the mobile phones he had been using to destroy evidence and evade the police. Othman hid for several days until meeting with a relative, who surrendered him to the police. The investigation was conducted by the Shalem station in the Jerusalem District Police.
