(haipo) - The District Court in Haifa ruled this morning (Monday, December 2.12.2024, XNUMX) that Josiah Lytle, the murderer of the late Dasha Lytle, will be convicted of first-intentional murder, but not under aggravating circumstances. The decision caused deep disappointment among Dasha's friends and family, who expected a conviction In aggravating circumstances - a conviction that could have led to a more severe sentence.
Expectation of justice in court
The friends of the late Daria "Dasha" Leitel came this morning to the district courtroom in Haifa, hoping to see justice done. Those present were waiting for a decision regarding the fate of Josiah Leitel, who murdered Dasha - his partner and the mother of their three young daughters. The horrible murder took place on time That the girls slept in their house, in an event that left them motherless and deprived them of the source of warmth, love and hugs that every child needs.
A murder that cannot be described in words
Before the decision, the judge read the things that dealt with the shocking murder, including difficult descriptions that caused many of those present to be shocked again and again. The act, which started with a brutal strangulation of Dasha and ended with a hammer blow that resulted in her death. The judge read the details of the prosecution and the defense, described the loss of blood supply to her brain and the way in which it was checked whether she was still breathing, before the fatal blow was delivered.
After long and in-depth discussions that took place over the past two years, the panel of judges - Avi Levy, Eran Cotton, and Idit Weinberg - unanimously decided to convict the murderer of first-intentioned murder, but not under aggravating circumstances. This decision has legal implications, as it will affect the sentence expected to be determined during the month of January.
Dasha's friends, who were close to her and saw her efforts to give her daughters a life full of love, expressed their frustration that the aggravating background of the murder was not recognized. According to them, it is not only about taking Dasha's life, but also about stealing the future of three young girls who were left without a mother.
As the judges prepared their decision, many in attendance were left with a heavy feeling, as they grappled with the meaning of a life lost and a future cruelly cut short.
Attorney Assi Piso: "The court erred in its decision"
Mixed feelings about the verdict
Attorney Esi Piso, the attorney for the family of the late Dasha Leitel, commented on the verdict and noted that it was about mixed feelings. "On the one hand, the murder conviction gives the murderer the label he deserves - a murderer. On the other hand, avoiding a murder conviction under aggravating circumstances leaves us with a sense of loss and pain," he said.
According to him, the family of the deceased believes that the court erred in its decision and that there is room for an appeal. "The responsibility for the appeal rests with the Haifa district attorney's office, and I will definitely advise them to do so and I will even submit my opinion on the matter," he added.
Dr. Daniela Mazor: "The girls are paying the price - this cannot be the decision"
My friend was deleted
Dr. Daniela Mazur, a close friend of the late Dasha Leitel, expressed deep pain following the verdict. "I feel like I've returned to that terrible morning of March 17, the day when my girlfriend was deleted, my mother was deleted, my wife, sister and daughter were deleted. It was a transparent case, which almost no one noticed. Within two days it dropped from the headlines because there were other things " she said painfully.
According to her, she sat in the courtroom and heard the shocking descriptions of the murder, but had a hard time understanding the decision. "Although I have a higher education and I am a doctor, I do not understand the legal language. I was expecting an aggravated murder conviction, and I couldn't understand how it didn't happen. How did this murderer, who did such a heinous act, not receive the maximum sentence?"
She emphasized the heavy price Dasha's daughters are paying since the murder. "These girls are shattered, living every day with the terrible loss of their mother. What else needs to happen for them to define this as aggravated murder? I understand trauma and complex post-trauma, and I know how much distress and destruction they have caused - and to all of us."
At the end of her words, she shared her feeling of helplessness in the face of the message that seems to be reflected in the verdict: "It is impossible that this is the message we are conveying - that the story can be turned in favor of the murderer. Something must happen here, it must not end like this."
Attorney Naji Amer: "We strive for a punishment that is as less severe as possible, within the framework allowed by law"
Attorney Naji Amer, attorney for the murderer Josiah Lytle He referred to the court's decision and noted that the defense's argument was accepted that the aggravating circumstances, which are part of a conviction for this type of murder, do not exist or that there is reasonable doubt regarding their existence. "The act itself is difficult, despicable and not simple, but the debate revolves around the question of whether the aggravating circumstances exist," he said.
According to him, in accordance with the amendments to the law on manslaughter, a conviction for premeditated murder allows the court to avoid obtaining a mandatory life sentence, in contrast to a conviction for murder under aggravated circumstances which requires life imprisonment. "We strive for a punishment that is as less severe as possible, within the framework allowed by the law," he added.
Lara Zinman: "Horrified and deeply disappointed: we will continue to fight for justice for women"
"I listened to the verdict and I was horrified"
Lara Zinman, chairman of the organization of families of the murdered and murdered, shared her difficult feelings following the verdict. "I listened to the verdict and I was horrified. From the moment I realized that there would not be a conviction for murder under aggravated circumstances, I felt disappointment and rage," she said.
According to her, the anger is not directed only at the composition of the judges, but also at the legislators, who she says missed an important opportunity during the reform of capital crimes. "When the reform was enacted, they did not add a section that defines the murder of women by their partners as murder under aggravated circumstances. There is no need to discuss what came before what - the strangulation or the beating with a hammer. The very act, in which a man murdered his partner, the mother of his daughters, who was supposed to protect and love her It should be considered murder under aggravated circumstances."
She emphasized the need for a public and legal struggle to change the situation. "We will continue to fight in the Knesset and the government for the amendment of the Penal Code, in order to prevent situations in which the courts engage in judicial quibbles instead of focusing on the atrocities themselves. We also hope that the prosecution will file an appeal with the Supreme Court after the sentence and demand that the conviction clause be changed."
Noah Shek: "I came to support Dasha's friendship - the loss cannot be explained"
"The verdict is simply sad"
Noa Shek, a leader of Alternative Builders in Haifa, who came to support the friends of the late Dasha Leitel, expressed the feeling of sadness and pain following the verdict. "The verdict is simply sad. Dasha was in her home, in her protected place with her daughters, and instead of feeling protected by her daughters' father - she was murdered," she said.
According to her, the sentence does not alleviate the unimaginable situation. "How can a man murder his wife, even if it is a stranger, and kill his daughters with his own flesh? It is unimaginable," she noted.
She expressed her hope that the sentence would be the maximum possible, and said that there is room for an appeal against the decision. "There is no forgiveness, no atonement and no forgiveness for taking life. Dasha was a lovely woman, full of life, intelligent and a great mother. All this was taken from her and her daughters, and all her loved ones, on the whim of a moment."
Attorney Ortal Sabirsky: "This is a classic case of murder under aggravated circumstances - we are disappointed with the decision"
Attorney Ortal Sbirsky, a friend of the late Dasha Leitel, expressed deep disappointment with the verdict, which led to a conviction for murder with intent and not under aggravating circumstances. "Today's ruling established an ordinary crime of murder, and I think it missed what the law and the ruling itself defined as cases that warrant aggravation," she said.
According to her, judgments given since the reform of the manslaughter offense have reiterated and emphasized the considerations required for a conviction under aggravating circumstances: a dimension of anti-sociality, the obscenity of the act, blasphemy and special cruelty. "If this is not the classic case of this - then what is? This murder was brutal. Whether it happened from the strangulation or from the hammer blow, it is an obscene act, deserving of every insult and extremely cruel."
She added that she hopes that the prosecution will carefully study the verdict and the expected sentence, and choose to file an appeal. "We have to fix this for justice, and for Dasha's daughters, who deserve a better life."
The tragedy that will not be forgotten
As I recall, on Friday morning, in March 2023, Haifa woke up to one of the most difficult days. The news of the brutal murder of Daria Leitel, (Dasha) a master's degree student in psychology and mother of three daughters, shook the city. Daria, who was only 31 years old, dreamed of a future full of development and happiness with her daughters, but a shaky relationship with her partner became her nightmare. That day Daria, or "Dasha" as her friends affectionately called her, joined the painful and unimaginable list of women murdered in Israel.
Dr. Daniela Mazor, Daria's close friend, spoke in an interview to Lahi Fe after the murder about the woman she had as a nurse. The evening before the murder, they met with the children, without a clue that it would be the last time. "Dasha was a devoted mother, her whole world revolved around her daughters. She knew how to give them endless love, so that each one would feel special and important," says Daniela. "She was a rare person, a wonderful woman who left a deep mark on everyone who met her."
The picture of the brutal murder
Daria, or Dasha as she was affectionately called by her friends, was brutally murdered as shown in the indictment filed against Josiah in April 2023, about a month after the murder. The couple's relationship was unstable, and Daria considered leaving her husband and divorcing him, after she felt that he was dangerous and that it was not good for her to be with him.
On the night of 17/3/2023, after drinking several bottles of beer, Josiah began searching Daria's computer and cell phone, trying to find out if she was cheating on him. During the search he found correspondence with her friends, from which he concluded that she intended to leave him, which made him very angry. When Daria woke up and went to the living room, the two confronted, and she replied that he was dangerous and that she was not comfortable with him. In response, he demanded that she collect her belongings and leave the house. Daria answered him that she would leave the house together with the children, which ignited his anger.
In an indescribable fury, Josiah attacked Daria with boundless violence. He hit her in the ribs and choked her, when he felt that she had stopped fighting him, he let go of her neck and when he felt that she was still alive, he picked up a hammer and hit her in the head. The girls, who were sleeping in the next room, remained unaware of the horror that took place.
The fight for justice
Today, almost two years after the murder, the court sentenced Josiah. The verdict marks another stage in the long journey to justice for Daria and her daughters. But even with the sentence, the pain remains.
The late Daria Lytle was not just a victim. She was a devoted mother, a beloved friend and a woman who dreamed of a better future. Daria's memory lives on in the hearts of all who knew her. The little girls she raised with love will always carry her legacy with them, even if they have lost You are a master of a cruel moment.
34 women in Israel have been murdered since the beginning of 2024 as a result of domestic violence
Now, we must all remember Daria's story, fight for the prevention of domestic violence and ensure that in the future, no woman will end her life in such a terrible tragedy. It is important to remember that from the beginning of 2024 there was a 30% increase in applications to the aid centers following the war, and 30 women in Israel were murdered as a result of domestic violence.
There is no justice in the world, God will avenge his blood. My heart goes out to you, dear family, I strongly condemn all murder, or violence, against a woman in Israel, I, as a man, am ashamed of how women are humiliated, harassed, whether it is verbally, sexually, or physically, murdered, and men still play it in prisons, they should be sentenced to death like abroad, or humiliated, and treated like the terrorists of the Nuhva, the Attorney General's Office has a great responsibility, and also the judiciary, where is the Committee on the Status of Women's Rights in the Israeli Knesset? To come up with a law, to make it tougher for rapists and murderers of women, ? There is room to appeal the sentence, and to sentence that murderer, and murderers of women in general, to life imprisonment.
The judicial system is shocking, just to see and not to believe