9 suspects charged in Karp murder

3 indicted on suspicion of killing 59-year-old "in cold blood," 6 charged with failing to prevent crime.

crime scene police murder holon 248 88 (photo credit: Israel Police)
crime scene police murder holon 248 88
(photo credit: Israel Police)
The state on Thursday filed indictments in Tel Aviv District Court and Tel Aviv Magistrate's Court against six residents of Jaljulya and a female soldier for their alleged roles in the killing of Arik Karp in the early morning of August 15. Three of the suspects, Jamil and Abed Ades and a 17-year-old minor identified as R.A., were charged with Karp's murder in Tel Aviv District Court. The others - Fadi Jaber, Fuad Musa, Mahmud Ades and Or Levy, the soldier - were charged with failure to prevent a crime and violation of the obligation to come to the aid of someone in danger. According to the indictments, the men from Jaljulya, along with the IDF soldier and a female minor, A.K., met up at Tel Baruch beach at 11 p.m. on Friday evening, August 14. They sat on the beach and began drinking alcohol. Karp, together with his wife, Sarah and his daughter, Anataliya, arrived at the beach at about the same time and sat down on a bench. The minor, R.A., left the group and walked off alone. He ran into the Karp family and started baiting them by asking the father to fix him up with one of the women. The family started to move away, but R.A. called and asked Jamil and Abed Ades to come quickly. They arrived almost immediately: one grabbed Sarah Karp and threw her down on the sidewalk while the other seized Anataliya. Both women managed to run away and the assailants turned their attention to Karp, "attacking him together by kicking and beating him severely all over his body. They rained down a series of hard punches on his face, head and upper body and forcefully kicked him in his head and ribs. Even after Karp was lying on the ground, they continued to attack him and did not heed his pleas to stop." According to the indictment, at one point Karp managed to get up and start running, but his assailants caught up with him and continued to punch and kick him. Throughout this time, prosecutor Menahem Mizrahi continued, the other four suspects stood aside and watched without lifting a finger to help. At one point, A.K. yelled at the attackers to stop, but no one listened to her and Jamil Ades punched her twice in the face. The assailants only stopped beating Karp when they heard other people rushing over to help. The gang got into their cars and drove away, stopped for more liquor and headed for the Horshim Woods, where they drank, listened to music and danced. The indictment does not determine when Karp died, although it declares that the cause of death was the blows he received. The state wrote that the gang fled when they heard voices approaching and that several hours later, at 6:15 a.m. August 15, Karp was pulled out of the water, "after his body got there in circumstances unknown to the prosecution." According to the indictment, the blows caused fatal injuries, including a fracture of the lower skull, severe head wounds and bleeding in the brain. In addition to the murder charge, R.A. and Jamil and Abed Ades were charged with causing severe injury in aggravated circumstances and assault in aggravated circumstances. Defense lawyer Asher Chen said the state could not prove that the defendants had killed Karp because it could not explain what happened to him after they ran off or how his body ended up in the water.