Clal Building shooter convicted for murder of father-daughter lawyers

Ma’aleh Adumim resident Tadesa Getahon was upset with Natan Jorno’s handling of his divorce case.

By YONAH JEREMY BOB
PRISONS SERVICE personnel bring Tadesa Getahon to Jerusalem District Court. (photo credit: FLASH 90)
PRISONS SERVICE personnel bring Tadesa Getahon to Jerusalem District Court.
(photo credit: FLASH 90)
A three-judge panel of the Jerusalem District Court on Tuesday convicted Tadesa Getahon of the double-murder of Natan and Yamit Jorno in the capital’s Clal Building a year ago.
While Getahon claimed that Natan had called him “garbage” as a racial epithet (Getahon being Ethiopian-Israeli) and implied that in the moment he was provoked to lose control, the court neither accepted his narrative nor viewed it as remotely sufficient to excuse him for the murders.
Judges Zvi Segal, Ben-Zion Greenberg and Arnon Darel found that Getahon had clearly intended to murder, aiming his gun at his victims’ upper bodies, necks and faces.
In August 2013, the Jerusalem District Attorney’s Office filed an indictment with the district court against Tadesa Getahon.
The 50-year-old Getahon, a disgruntled security guard from Ma’aleh Adumim, was upset about a financial dispute with Natan Jorno.
Getahon – who worked as a private security guard in a nearby building – carried out the July 23 murders alone.
Yamit Jorno, 26, was working at the firm of her father, Natan, 56, to secure the final accreditation for practicing law.
In June 2012, Getahon asked that Natan represent him in a divorce proceeding before the Jerusalem Rabbinical Court.
In exchange for his services, Jorno and Getahon had signed a retainer agreement to pay the lawyer NIS 20,000.
Getahon paid NIS 10,000 upon signing the agreement and another NIS 1,600 on July 25, 2012, and he was due to pay the rest of the bill at the end of the case.
On November 29, 2012, Getahon came to complain to Jorno about his managing of the case, claimed that he was cooperating with his wife’s lawyer, told him to stop representing him and asked for his money back.
Getahon began screaming at Jorno, banged on a table and threatened him, saying, “This is your end.”
Jorno responded by asking Getahon to leave, but Getahon refused to do so until Jorno called the police; after their arrival, Getahon left.
On December 12, Jorno sent Getahon a letter saying that he would no longer represent him, as per his request.
On December 23, Getahon sent a letter to the Israel Bar Association to complain about Jorno’s managing of the case and asking for its assistance in getting his money returned.
The association responded on May 28, 2013, stating that the complaint had been closed since it had found no misconduct on Jorno’s part.
On two other occasions, Getahon came to Jorno’s offices demanding that his money be returned, but Jorno refused.
On July 23, Getahon entered Jorno’s office at around 9:30 a.m., shot him several times in one room and then shot Yamit several times in another room, killing both of them.
Getahon is set to be sentenced on August 24.