Investigation materials into the murder of 19-year-old Destao Tzakul have recently been transferred to the prosecution, with authorities expecting that an indictment against the suspects will be filed on Wednesday.
The police arrested four teenagers, aged 16 to 17, who are believed to have ambushed Tzakul near his home while he was with friends. They attacked him upon his return home, beating and stabbing him to death.
Tzakul was killed in April, just a week before he was scheduled to enlist in the Golani Brigade. He was his family's youngest child, leaving behind an older brother and sister.
The four suspects are scheduled to appear on Wednesday for a hearing to extend their detention. Since a prosecutor’s declaration has already been filed, the court is expected to be asked to keep them in custody until legal proceedings conclude. Earlier this week, police announced they had recovered the knife used in the stabbing.
Tzakul’s family plans to attend court to confront the suspects. His sister told Maariv that the family receives almost no updates on the investigation and learns about developments only through the media. She demanded that the video documenting the incident be released, as the stabbing video of Yemano Binyamin Zalka in Petah Tikva was.
The family is expected to meet with representatives from the Central Unit for Investigations, who are handling the case.
They will likely be shown parts of the investigation materials, including footage documenting the murder.
Victim's sister: We want to see suspects' faces
The meeting is scheduled for the morning, before the family attends court for the indictment filing. “We want them to see the faces of those who did this,” the victim's sister said. “This must be made public; why hide them?”
Following Tzakul and Zalka's murders, many teenagers from Beersheba and surrounding areas held a protest rally, calling for “an end to violence and bloodshed.”
Family's attorney: 'Destao was not there by accident'
Attorney Lee Asaf Almalich, representing the Tzakul family, said they want justice and that those responsible be brought to trial quickly. “The family believes that some of the publications presented so far do not fully reflect the circumstances of the incident,” she said. “Destao was not there by accident, and this is not a random event, as presented in some of the reports.”
In response to the family’s claims that they only receive updates from the media, police said the investigation is ongoing and that they do not release details on ongoing investigations.