Police: Eritrean migrant tried to kill girlfriend

28-year-old charged with attempted murder after he choked woman, believed he left her dead in Sderot apartment.

By YAAKOV LAPPIN
crime scene (photo credit: Ariel Jerozolimski [illustrative])
crime scene
(photo credit: Ariel Jerozolimski [illustrative])
A 28-year-old Eritrean was charged with the attempted murder of his girlfriend, at the Beersheba District Court on Wednesday.
Police prosecutors said the defendant, Zira Adra, had become involved in a dispute with the woman, and arrived at her home in Sderot on December 29 shouting out threats to “slaughter” her.
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Inside the apartment, “the defendant choked the woman, dragged her to the kitchen...[and continued] until she foamed at the mouth and appeared to have lost consciousness. After becoming convinced that he had killed her, the defendant placed the victim on her bed, left the apartment and locked the door,” police said.
“He then called the woman’s brother and said, ‘Come pick up your sister’s body, I murdered her,’” police added.
A police spokeswoman said the woman’s brother had failed to notify police.
The spokeswoman added that the assault victim later said she had played dead, fearing that if she had continued to struggle “he would have killed her.”
Several hours later, police said, at around 7 p.m., Adra walked into the Sderot Police station and announced that he had killed his girlfriend.
The man’s announcement prompted large numbers of police and Magen David Adom paramedics to head to the crime scene, where they found the woman in good condition. She was evacuated to the hospital.