Woman sentenced to 24 years for murdering pregnant neighbor

Mazal Bar-Osher stabbed her pregnant neighbor Tali Atar repeatedly following a row over the cleanliness of the building,

By JOANNA PARASZCZUK
Prison jail generic (photo credit: Courtesy)
Prison jail generic
(photo credit: Courtesy)
The Beersheba District Court sentenced Mazal Bar-Osher on Wednesday to 24 years in prison for the murder of her neighbor, Tali Atar, and the manslaughter of Atar’s unborn child. Bar-Osher was also sentenced to a further two years probation.
The murder occurred on June 13, 2010 when Bar-Osher stabbed Atar, a mother of three, in the apartment building where the two women lived.
According to the charge sheet, an argument had begun earlier that day between Bar- Osher and Atar after Bar-Osher had thrown a box of coffee and salt at the entrance to Atar’s apartment. The two women continued to argue and curse each other throughout the morning.
At one point, Bar-Osher called the police and told them “she’s threatening me and now I’m going to go and stab her. I’ll cut open her stomach.” Shortly afterward, Bar-Osher stabbed Atar repeatedly, including in the heart.
Afterwards, she called the police again and confessed she had stabbed her neighbor.
Atar, who was seven months pregnant, was rushed to Kaplan hospital in Rehovot, but died despite attempts to resuscitate her. Atar’s baby was delivered by Caesarian section but died a few days later.
Despite the severity of the case, the Beersheba District Court did not rule that Bar- Osher should pay compensation, because Atar’s family intended to file a civil suit instead.