Prosecutors filed an indictment in Central District Court on Thursday against Benjamin Yosef Haim Friedrich, 36, on charges of murdering 75-year-old Kabbalist Rabbi Amos Guetta under aggravated circumstances, Walla reported on Thursday.
Friedrich was also charged with causing grievous bodily harm under aggravated circumstances and unlawfully possessing a knife.
During an investigation by the Israel Police Sharon District Central Unit, Friedrich admitted to killing Guetta and told investigators that the rabbi was a “false messiah.” The indictment provides new details about the alleged planning that preceded the killing, Friedrich’s purported attempt to pose as a worshiper, his struggle with the rabbi’s assistant, and the unusual statements he made during questioning.
According to the indictment, at a time investigators have not been able to determine precisely, Friedrich decided to kill the rabbi. To carry out the plan, he allegedly took a knife with a 21-centimeter blade from the yeshiva kitchen, concealed it inside his pants, and covered it with his shirt.
At 5:39 a.m., Friedrich arrived at the rabbi’s home, where Guetta’s assistant, Yaakov, was sitting beside the rabbi’s bed. Friedrich asked to enter the room, claiming that he wanted to pray beside Guetta.
Yaakov initially refused because he did not want to disturb the rabbi’s rest. After Friedrich repeatedly pleaded with him, however, Yaakov agreed and allowed him to enter the room to recite a chapter of Psalms.
The indictment states that Friedrich stood beside the rabbi’s bed for several seconds and appeared to mutter a prayer. He then allegedly pulled out the knife concealed in his clothing and stabbed Guetta.
When Yaakov saw what was happening, he rushed toward Friedrich in an attempt to stop him. During the ensuing struggle, Friedrich allegedly continued the attack and stabbed the rabbi three more times. Yaakov suffered a wound to his hand while trying to restrain Friedrich.
The knife then fell from Friedrich’s hands. He fled the scene, leaving Guetta critically wounded.
Guetta was evacuated to Laniado Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 6:25 a.m. According to the indictment, the four stab wounds caused his death.
Suspect claims murdered rabbi was 'false messiah'
Friedrich was arrested at 8:29 a.m. following a manhunt that lasted approximately three hours. During his first interrogation, he admitted to stabbing the rabbi, provided details believed to have been known only to investigators, and claimed that he had committed the act because “the angel Samael Iblis is inside his liver.”
During that interrogation, Friedrich refused to speak, and communication with investigators was conducted mainly through hand gestures, nodding, and pointing to letters.
He exercised his right to remain silent during his second interrogation. During his third, he refused to answer most questions. When investigators presented the suspicions against him, however, he confirmed that he had stabbed the rabbi four times, denied harming Yaakov, and called Guetta a “false messiah.”
Friedrich also gave answers unrelated to many of the questions during his fourth interrogation. Nevertheless, according to the indictment, he told investigators that he had already admitted to his actions and asked whether the rabbi had died of his wounds.
He later made further unusual statements and expressed regret that he had not harmed Guetta more severely, the indictment states.
Evidence against Friedrich includes security footage, testimony
Prosecutors say they possess a series of items of evidence supporting the charges. These include Yaakov’s testimony identifying Friedrich as the attacker and describing his attempt to save the rabbi; the knife recovered from the scene, which contained traces of Guetta’s DNA; security camera footage documenting Friedrich’s arrival at the yeshiva and his escape; Magen David Adom records; documents from Laniado Hospital; an opinion from the L. Greenberg Institute of Forensic Medicine; and testimony from other people who were at the yeshiva compound.
The prosecution noted that Guetta was considered helpless because of his medical condition and was dependent on nursing care. It further alleged that the killing was committed after Friedrich had planned the attack and formed the intention to kill, despite the rabbi having assisted Friedrich and accepted him into the yeshiva.
In its request to keep Friedrich in custody until the end of legal proceedings, the state also noted that he has a criminal record containing two previous convictions. Prosecutors argued that he poses a flight risk, in part because he holds a French passport.