The judges of the district court in Lod this morning (Tuesday) convicted 79-year-old Victor Katan of the crime of negligent homicide of Ofir Hasdai in the parking lot in Ramla, after he shot him during an argument about a parking space.
The judges rejected Ketan's claim that it was self-defense.
The judges referred to Ken's statement in his interrogation in which he said "the blood rose to my head" and wrote in their decision "he did not give himself an account, but acted out of high indifference and out of awareness of the nature of the act".
Victor Ketan was convicted of murdering Ofir Hasdai during an argument about parking in a shopping mall in Ramla, today, photo: use according to section 27a of the copyright law
According to the indictment in which he was convicted about four and a half years ago, Victor and his wife Monica arrived at Azrieli Mall in Ramla and started looking for parking in the parking lot.
At that time, Ofir Hasdai, his wife Dekla and their two young daughters arrived at the mall.
At some point, the defendant's wife located a free parking space.
Near that, Ofir and Dekla also noticed in the vacant parking lot and approached her.
Katan arrived at the parking lot and parked his car with the front against the wall, in a way that deviates from the lines marked on the road.
At this point, Hasdai stopped his car, got out of it, approached the defendant's wife and shouted at her: "Why are you parking in two parking lots?"
A dispute developed between the two, in which the defendant's wife beat Hasdai with her bag.
Hasdai shouted in response: "Why are you raising your hands at me?"
and pushed her away with both hands.
The accused's wife fell to the ground and the deceased walked away from the scene towards his car.
Victor Ketan accused of murdering Ofir Hasdai in the Ramla Mall parking lot (archive), photo: no credit
Ketan noticed what was happening between Hasdai and his wife and got out of his car taking a bag containing a gun with him, and placed it on the trunk.
After his wife fell, Katan approached Hesdai, stood between them and shouted at the deceased: "Why are you beating my wife?"
So he turned to his car, pulled the gun out of his bag and shot Hasdai in the thigh at close range.
Hasdai, who remained standing, shouted at the defendant: "What are you shooting at me?", then the defendant's wife shouted at the defendant to stop.
The accused did not listen to these calls, aimed the gun at the deceased's upper body and fired another shot at him which hit his chest, lungs, and pierced his heart.
After the verdict, the prosecutor's office demanded the immediate arrest of Victor Katan.
"There is no meaning in the rehabilitation of a person who did not take responsibility for his actions and conducted his trial for 4 years," they said.
However, the court did not accept the request and raised the bail by NIS 25,000, noting that this is a defendant who suffers from a variety of medical problems.
At the end of the hearing, the panel of judges turned to the widow Dekla and said: "We hope that with the end of the procedure that this chapter will be behind you, we wish you to know no more sorrow. Today your family went through a significant chapter."
Dekla answered the court that our 14-year-old daughter keeps asking: 'Why didn't the man who killed dad go to prison?'"
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