Police conclude investigation: Maya Vishniyak was murdered by boyfriend

The prosecutor's statement was handed to the Tel Aviv Magistrate Court on Sunday afternoon claiming that Amit Almog murdered his girlfriend.

Maya Vishniyak, a 22-year-old murdered by her boyfriend, 21-year-old Amit Almog. (photo credit: FACEBOOK VIA MAARIV)
Maya Vishniyak, a 22-year-old murdered by her boyfriend, 21-year-old Amit Almog.
(photo credit: FACEBOOK VIA MAARIV)
Amit Almog was found to have intentionally murdered his girlfriend Maya Vishniyak, according to the prosecutor's statement delivered by the Israel Police to the Tel Aviv Magistrate Court on Sunday afternoon.
Asaf Zweig, representative of the police and head of the team investigating 21-year-old Almog, asked that his arrest by extended by five days.
Almog was caught close to his home a few weeks ago after his mother called the police over his alleged murder of his 22-year-old girlfriend, Vishniyak. He additionally tried to strangle his mother after showing her the body.
The police extended his arrest a week ago because they were still investigating him for allegedly photographing Vishniyak's body and sending it to at least one of his friends. His friends gave testimony, although they may be subjected to more questioning should the police suspect that they had left out some information.
The police reported then that he was not under the influence of drugs at the time of the murder, after Almog's attorney asked that he be examined. His arrest had been extended by eight days.
He was psychologically evaluated soon after the arrest and found to be extremely mentally unstable. In his first time in the courtroom, Almog was confused and attacked the police officers. During the investigation, he told police that voices in his head told him to murder his girlfriend.
On Tuesday, the same week that Almog was tested for drugs, 12,000 people gathered in Tel Aviv to demand that the government immediately fund programs to combat domestic violence. Shira Vishniyak, Maya's sister, spoke at the event.
"In order to defeat [domestic violence], we need to mobilize the entire government in order to provide the necessary resources," said Labor and Social Services Minister Itzik Shmuli ahead of the protest, adding that the ministry "will do everything to protect the personal safety of women and children.
"I decided to put this subject at the center of the Labor and Social Services Ministry's agenda," Shmuli said in a statement directed at the organizers of the event: Dror Sadot, Stav Arnon and Ruti Klein. "The people who need to be persecuted, shaken and perhaps feeling a sense of fear are the violent men."
A total of 11 women have been murdered since the beginning of the year in acts of domestic violence. The number spiked when the coronavirus restrictions went into effect, since domestic abuse victims are often trapped at home with their abusers.