Israeli man convicted of sodomy, murder 21 years after grisly crime
Eyal's family reacted to the verdict of their daughter's murderer, "An evil person, who took the life of Noa has no right to walk freely."
By MOR SHIMONI, AVISHAI GRINZAIGUpdated: JANUARY 4, 2019 00:57Daniel Nachmani, suspect in the murder of Noa Eyal, arrives to the courtroom of the Jerusalem's District Court on January 3, 2019. Noa Eyal was raped and murdered in 1998 while she was 17 years-old, her body was found in the Ramot Forest in northern Jerusalem the day after. Police released on Octobe(photo credit: YONATAN SINDEL/FLASH 90)The Jerusalem District Court on Thursday convicted Daniel Nahmani of the murder of Noa Eyal, a teenage Jerusalemite murdered in 1998. Nahmani was also convicted of sodomy but was acquitted of rape.“This evil person, who took the life of Noa has no right to walk freely,” Eyal’s family said in reaction to the verdict. “The court closed a circle today. Order was restored, as is fitting for a properly-functioning society. But we, Noa’s family, will have neither relief nor comfort.”The 17-year-old Eyal’s body was discovered with signs of violence in February 1998. She was last seen waiting for a bus in Davidka Square on her way home to Ramot. Nahmani picked her up at the bus stop there, drove off the main road and into the Ramot Forest, and murdered her.Though police worked diligently to solve the case, it was only in 2014 that a breakthrough was made. A preliminary search of a DNA database to locate relatives of the murderer revealed that Nahmani’s father had the highest statistical likelihood of being a relative. As a result, the prosecution, according to the State Attorney’s Office, carried out covert surveillance of Nahmani, and obtained a saliva sample. A DNA test showed Nahmani’s DNA matched that of the murderer, and the Jerusalem District Attorney’s office then filed an indictment.Attorney Michal Rubinstein, who represented Nahmani on behalf of the Public Defender’s Office, responded after the verdict: “We will examine the court’s decision. It should be noted that Mr. Nahmani continues to claim that he is innocent.”
