Haifa man stabbed to death in drunken late-night brawl

By REBECCA ANNA STOIL
Drinking and socializing proved deadly early Saturday morning, as Alexei Kotov, 46, was stabbed to death by his host as the two drank together in a Haifa apartment. Kotov was found dead in the Haifa apartment. Shortly afterward, police discovered that he had been a friend of the apartment's owner, Valery Gurevich, 52. While the two were together in the apartment, Gurevich stabbed his guest to death. Gurevich was arrested after calling police to report his crime. Investigations indicated that the two had been drunk at the time of the fight. After reenacting the crime before watching detectives, Gurevich was taken to Haifa Magistrate's Court, where he was remanded until Thursday. But Kotov's murder was not the only drinking-related attack over the weekend. Overnight Thursday, police received an emergency call from an apartment in Holon. Upon arriving, they found a 33-year-old man who had been seriously wounded by a blow to his head. The victim was taken to Sheba Hospital at Tel Hashomer. An initial investigation indicated that the man had been attacked by his friend while they were under the influence of alcohol. The 36-year-old suspect fled the scene and was arrested hours later. On Friday morning, he was brought remanded in Rishon Lezion Magistrate's Court. The weekend's violence was not confined, however, to alcohol-related crimes. Late Friday night, police received a report of shots fired at a vehicle in Jaffa. Its driver was seriously wounded, and was taken by bystanders to Wolfson Hospital. A few hours later, a 19-year-old Tiberias resident was brought to Poriya Hospital suffering from stab wounds. He was admitted in good condition. In Hadera overnight Friday, a Tirat Carmel resident was stabbed repeatedly and shot in the foot. The 49-year-old was attacked in Or Akiva and was taken to Hillel Yaffe Hospital in serious condition and operated upon. The victim has a police record. Hadera police arrested an Or Akiva resident in his 20s, suspecting that the circumstances leading to the stabbing were a disagreement between criminals.