Ashdod mother suspected of murder in drowning of baby
The woman said she had a "divine revelation" in which she believed she was told to baptize the baby.
By UDI SHAHAMUpdated: APRIL 16, 2018 23:55Ambulance(photo credit: MARC ISRAEL SELLEM/THE JERUSALEM POST)
he mother whose baby drowned in a Jacuzzi in an Ashdod hotel earlier this month is suspected of murdering her son.According to media reports on Sunday, the 28-year-old mother told police she experienced a “divine revelation” in which she said she was told to baptize the baby. She reportedly dipped him in water three times and expected him to rise on his own after the third time – in a miracle by which the baby would emerge “as a man.”Attorneys Michael Buskila and Shani Farjoun, who represent the mother, told the media, “As the investigation is processing, a wider image can be seen... this is definitely a hard and sad story, and not only because of its tragic outcome.”“Since day one, when we met our client, we could see that her state of mind was unbalanced and that it required an immediate, thorough examination,” they said.The district psychiatrist was later reported as saying the mother was not qualified to stand trial because of her mental state and that she was not responsible for her actions.When the case was first reported earlier this month, an outcry was sparked in the haredi community after the court approved an autopsy being performed on the baby’s body. Protests were held in by ultra-Orthodox demonstrators in Jerusalem and Beit Shemesh.
