An attorney for former Israel Police officer Amir Raz, who is accused of murdering his wife Diana Raz in February, said at a hearing on Monday that Raz is fit to stand trial and does not deny shooting his wife although he does deny intending to murder her, Ynet reported.
"There is no question that he will be fit to stand trial," said Raz's attorney, according to Ynet. "He is not a mentally disabled person who does not understand and is not responsible for his actions. With that being said I want to say that mental disability has a wide range of things and situations that affect his condition and ability to control himself," Ynet reported that the attorney said.
The comments were made as part of the attorney's response to charges against Raz despite Raz's legal team's request for a delay in the hearing, Ynet reported. The team was required to make a partial response to the charges. His attorney also said there was a physical altercation between Raz and his wife and added that Raz does not remember the altercation, according to Ynet.
Raz was declared fit to stand trial by a psychiatrist in April, Israeli media reported.
Diana Raz, the victim of the suspected murder, was a couples’ mentor and led married couples through the challenges of overcoming marital complications. She led training groups through a program to improve and evolve their personal relationships.
During an argument that broke out between the couple, the alleged murderer told police, he did not know what had come over him, but he pulled his gun out and fired two shots, one of which went into the victim’s head.
After allegedly killing his wife, the police officer called his commanding officer and confessed to him. The Justice Ministry’s Police Investigation Department said he confessed during its interrogation, according to N12.
Just a few months before her death, Diana Raz had spoken with her marital training group about domestic violence. She had posted a live broadcast to the group in which she spoke about the murder of Michal Sela, a young Israeli woman who was allegedly murdered by her husband. Raz gave tips for women coping within an abusive relationship.
Tamar Beeri contributed to this report.