Man Sentenced to Prison for Stealing Gear of Murdered Nova Festival Hero

A Be'er Sheva Magistrate's Court sentenced San Lucian Tvil to two years and four months in prison on Sunday for stealing expensive audio equipment belonging to Matan Mordechai Lior, a sound engineer murdered while saving partygoers at the Nova festival on October 7. Tvil was also ordered to pay a 10,000-shekel fine, 20,000 shekels in compensation to Lior's parents, and an additional 10,000 shekels to Lior's business partner, alongside the forfeiture of the commercial vehicle used in the crime.

The sentencing concludes the judicial proceedings against all defendants in the case. Last month, the primary defendant, Ram Shahin, was sentenced to seven years in prison after being convicted of aggravated theft and aggravated fraud, while Daniel Hasson received a 40-month prison term for attempting to sell the stolen gear. Tvil's sentencing had been delayed due to reported medical circumstances.

According to the indictment, the defendants looted valuable sound systems worth hundreds of thousands of shekels from the festival site in the days following the massacre. Shahin even impersonated Lior's business partner to retrieve equipment confiscated by police. Adding to the moral outrage, Tvil reportedly attended the traditional shiva mourning period at the Lior family home while the stolen gear was still in his possession.

Judge Amir Doron harshly criticized the defendants during previous hearings, stating that they exploited a national disaster for financial gain, calling it an extreme moral low. Lior, who posthumously received the Presidential Medal of Civility for saving lives during the attack, was remembered by his father, Ofer Lior, who noted that no punishment could ever bring his son back or erase the painful ordeal of fighting to preserve his memory and property.