The Beersheba District Court today (Sunday) sentenced David Bokobza to 35 years in prison and NIS 408,000 in compensation, convicted of manslaughter, attempted murder, assault, arson and weapons offenses, after he murdered his friend and tried to murder his ex-wife and set fire to her apartment.
The affair began in 2014, when Bokobza kidnapped his two daughters to Thailand. The police opened an investigation and at the end the girls were returned to their mother. A short time later, Bokobza returned to Israel, was convicted of kidnapping and sentenced to 17 months in prison. After his release from prison, he moved to Beersheba.
His ex-wife's house set on fire by Bokobza, photo: Yehuda Peretz
On 7 April, Bokobza began his revenge campaign when he arrived at his ex-wife's apartment and tried to shoot and set her on fire in front of their daughters. The next day, the police received a missing person report, Avi Alter, a friend of Bokobza's who knew him and her. Police officers who arrived at Bokobza's apartment in Beersheba found Alter's body there.
During the hearing, the court noted that the defendant began a campaign of revenge one fine day. He did not stop for a moment and acted calmly as he continued from arena to arena. In light of the above, the court also accepted the position of the State Prosecutor's Office that the offenses should not be regarded as one continuous offense but rather as a number of distinct incidents. Likewise, with regard to his mental state, the court noted that he was brought into consideration of the offense, but there is no reason to include him in the considerations for punishment as well.
Bokobza was sentenced to 35 years in prison, 18 months suspended, NIS 258,150 in compensation to the family of the deceased and NIS <>,<> to his ex-wife and daughters.
At the end of the hearing, Attorney Racheli Attias, of the Southern District Attorney's Office, who handled the case, stated: "The court accepted the prosecution's position and sentenced the defendant to a significant sentence. Throughout the trial, the defendant tried to argue that the victim of the crime and the complainants were responsible, despite the above, the court accepted our position and found the defendant responsible for his actions.
"At a time when violence in Israeli society is on the rise, we hope that this punishment will help restore a sense of protection and security to the complainants and their families, and will also serve as another deterrent in the stubborn struggle to eradicate the phenomenon."
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