The Haifa District Court will decide today (Tuesday) whether to release Eduard Kachura, the suspect in the murder of Little Yael Melnik, or extend his detention.
Yesterday the district reversed the decision of the city magistrate's court, announcing that Kachura will remain in custody until tonight.
Prior to the intervention of the District Court, Kachura was released from custody yesterday by order of the Magistrate's Court in Haifa, which granted the police a delay in enforcing the decision for 24 hours, in order to allow an appeal against the ruling.
The decision caused a stir in court, and the murdered woman's relatives were outraged.
Melnick's grandmother fainted and had difficulty getting to her feet, and Sister Ruth attacked the judge and told her she was "abnormal."
Judge Tal Tadmor-Zamir, who ordered his release: "I do not see how the police's request to extend his detention can be granted."
Grandmother Ludmila and sister Ruth, Photo: Yaron Doron
As you may recall, about two months ago, Melnik's body was found half-buried at a construction site near Kachura's home, with whom she had a romantic relationship that began while she was being treated at a mental hospital where he worked.
"To be in prison all his life"
Despite the many days of detention and the investigative actions carried out, the police and the prosecutor's office have so far failed to establish an evidentiary basis that would allow an indictment to be filed, and therefore no prosecutor's statement was filed before the indictment was filed.
Sister Ruth told Israel Today, after the decision to keep the suspect in custody: "When it was decided to release him, we were at the lowest point. I could not believe it, I wanted to hurt him myself. I screamed and erupted. He was accepted. The district judge changed the whole picture. He ruled that we had said from the beginning that this man was very dangerous, that he had come to work in the hospital to exploit girls in their most sensitive situation. He ruled that my sister's hands were clean, that she could not bury herself. "He actually based an indictment here, which the prosecution did not do. I do not think it takes more than that to base an indictment on murder. For me, an indictment of less murder is unthinkable.
The grandmother added: "The decision to release him was something terrible. He should get an indictment for murder. A man who kills a little 17-year-old girl should be in jail all his life."
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