Israeli journalist arrested for throwing boiling oil on mother

The journalist – whose name is banned from publication – allegedly took a pot of boiling cooking oil into her mother’s bedroom and poured the oil on her, leaving her in critical condition.

By BEN HARTMAN
Updated: APRIL 27, 2016 05:19
Handcuffs [Illustrative] (photo credit: INIMAGE)
Handcuffs [Illustrative]
(photo credit: INIMAGE)
A 20-year-old journalist arrested for throwing boiling cooking oil on her middle- aged mother could face charges of attempted murder, prosecutors said in court this week.
The journalist – whose name is banned from publication – was arrested on Friday after allegedly taking a pot of boiling cooking oil into her mother’s bedroom at her Kfar Saba home and pouring the oil on her, leaving her in critical condition.
She had originally told police that she spilled the oil after she tripped on a robotic vacuum cleaner, and that she was carrying the pot to her mother’s room to ask for her help with something she was cooking.
The journalist has continued to refuse requests by her attorneys to undergo psychiatric examination to gauge whether she’s fit to stand trial.
On Tuesday she appeared for her second remand hearing at the Petah Tikva Magistrate’s Court, where her remand was extended until Thursday. During the hearing, prosecutors revealed that they are considering upgrading the charge to attempted murder. They also stated that the suspect had carried out a reenactment of the crime, and that video of the reenactment reveals serious gaps in her explanation of events.
According to police, during their investigation, they have received testimony from witnesses who attested to the suspect’s emotional and mental distress and a history of tense relations with her mother, as well as prior incidents of violence.
The journalist’s mother remains in critical condition at Meir Medical Center in Kfar Saba.