Life Imprisonment for Salomon Madmon Who Murdered His Daughter-in-Law's Father
The Tel Aviv District Court sentenced Salomon Madmon to life imprisonment for the murder of Yosef Yosefia, the father of his daughter-in-law, following a family dispute over a separation.
Judge Oded Maor summarized this morning, Wednesday, the family tragedy centered on Salomon Madmon, who was convicted of murdering Yosef Yosefia, his daughter-in-law's father, after she separated from his son.
"The court does not know how to decipher the depths of a person's soul. It is not in its power to turn back the clock, to heal the fracture, or to provide comfort to those who have lost what is dear to them."
The Tel Aviv District Court sentenced Madmon to life imprisonment for murder under aggravating circumstances. The panel of judges, headed by Judge Yossi Topf and accompanied by judges Oded Maor and Maayan Ben-Ari, determined that the life sentence would be calculated from the day of Madmon's arrest, June 18, 2022. In addition, he was given 12 months of suspended imprisonment for weapons offenses and five months of suspended imprisonment for threats. Madmon was also ordered to pay 150,000 shekels to Yosefia's four children.
Yosefia was described in the verdict as a beloved family man, husband, father of four, and grandfather. Madmon and Yosefia were in-laws and grandfathers to two shared grandchildren. However, the marital bond that connected the families became, after it faltered, the background for the murder. According to the court, Yosefia was murdered because he supported his daughter after her marriage to Madmon's son fell into crisis, and did not act to prevent the separation as Madmon expected him to.
"This was not a momentary outburst or a spontaneous reaction," the court determined. "The defendant formed a decision to kill the deceased, planned the act, weighed his steps, and carried out his decision." Madmon was convicted on June 23, 2026, of murder under aggravating circumstances, illegal carrying of a pistol, and threats.
In June 2022, Madmon sent Yosefia a series of threatening WhatsApp messages. The court determined that the messages testified to a hostile state of mind. On June 18, 2022, Madmon met with an acquaintance to obtain a pistol, which he claimed was intended to "scare" Yosefia. He then drove to Ramat Gan to Yosefia's apartment building.
That morning, Madmon encountered Yosefia and his neighbor by the elevator. During the ascent to the sixth floor, an argument developed between them. Within seconds of leaving the elevator, Madmon drew the pistol and shot Yosefia six times from close range. The victim died within minutes. Neighbors testified that they heard the shots and Yosefia's cries for help, which continued even after the first shots, proving Madmon's determination to complete the killing.
In his final words to the court, Madmon asked for forgiveness from the Yosefia family and his own, but the court noted that even in his moment of remorse, Madmon continued to attribute his actions to drunkenness, failing to accept full responsibility. Judge Oded Maor added: "There are cases where the court is faced with an act that human logic cannot resolve. Such is the case before us: a grandfather who murdered another grandfather."
