UK tourist's killer released from prison after 13 years

Daniel Okev, convicted of murdering Jeffrey Hunter in 1997, won appeal to cut sentence by third on claims he has been rehabilitated.

By JPOST.COM STAFF
Prison jail generic (photo credit: Courtesy)
Prison jail generic
(photo credit: Courtesy)
Daniel Okev, the former paratrooper who was convicted in 1997 for killing a British tourist and wounding the man's girlfriend, was released from prison on Thursday after serving a thirteen year sentence.
A parole committee approved Okev's early release after they believed he had been rehabilitated and would not re-offend.
The prosecution announced that they would not appeal the decision.
Okev had picked up hitchhikers Jeffrey Hunter and Charlotte Gibb in August 1997 near Eilat. After pulling up at a roadside rest stop, he pulled out a pistol and fired at the pair.
At his trial, Okev had said that he had been traumatized by his service in an army hit squad. The judges ruled that he suffered from "diminished mental capacity" and thus bore diminished responsibility for his crime.