Motorcyclist Adi Mizrahi, a 22-year-old resident of Holon, is the suspect in the murder of Yuri Volkov at a pedestrian crossing in Holon on Wednesday, according to a statement made on Friday lifting the gag order on the suspect's identity.
Mizrahi was initially charged with reckless homicide during a hearing at the Tel Aviv Magistrate's Court - despite footage from the scene of the incident clearly showing the stabbing that killed Volkov. After major public criticism, the police changed the charge to suspected murder. Mizrahi's detention was extended by six days.
After updating the charge, the police stated that "to avoid any doubt, the arrest request at the hearing at the Tel Aviv Magistrate's Court regarding the suspect in the murder of Yuri Volkov - is for the crime of murder and not reckless homicide."
"To avoid any doubt, the arrest request at the hearing at the Tel Aviv Magistrate's Court regarding the suspect in the murder of Yuri Volkov - is for the crime of murder and not reckless homicide."
Police statement
Daria, Yuri's daughter, said in response to the suspicions against Mizrahi that there was no frivolity here. "This man is a murderer and killed an entire family with the murder of my father. No matter what, I will not leave this issue - and it will not pass in silence. Even if his lawyer is capable, I will do everything so that it reaches as many people as possible and as high as possible."
"He murdered a man who did not deserve this in cold blood," she added. "He already had the weapon in his hand, he came with the intention to kill, not just to threaten. At first he wanted to kill my mother. I'm sure that now he regrets not being able to kill her and that she remained a witness to all this."
The suspect was previously accused of extortion by threats, but reached a plea agreement that included only six months of community service and five months of probation.
In the verdict, handed down about six months ago in the Tel Aviv District Court, the judge stated that "it seems from all the information we have that there is no room for a full implementation of the law with the defendant, since the incident on its own does not seem to reflect his way of life."
According to the indictment, in 2019 Mizrahi blackmailed a friend of his father's, whom he blamed for his medical condition and demanded as compensation that she transfer an apartment that she owned to him. The suspect threatened to stab her and that someone will beat her, until she finally signed and transferred the apartment to his name.
The murder of Yuri Volkov
The incident began when Yuri and Lena were on their way back from an apartment they saw in Holon. Lena said that the motorcyclist ran a red light and cut them off at a crosswalk. She took out her phone and took a picture of him. He followed her to the next crossing, stopped next to her and demanded that she delete the photo.
According to Daria, her mother agreed and continued to move forward. The rider didn't relent and demanded that she show him that she deleted the footage. At this point Yuri approached and tried to calm the situation.
"Go ahead, everything is fine," they told Mizrahi, and in response, the rider stabbed him in the heart with a knife. Yuri continued to walk a few more steps - and collapsed in front of his wife. He was pronounced dead at Wolfson Hospital.
Volkov, 52 years old at the time of his death, worked for about 20 years as a medical assistant at the Ichilov Hospital in Tel Aviv, and left behind a wife, three children and a granddaughter.