The State Prosecutor's Department for Investigating Police Officers on Thursday morning submitted an indictment against officer Amir Raz to the Central District Court in Lod.
Raz is accused of murdering his wife Diana in their home in Na'ale.
The indictment charges Raz with murder with aggravated assault, attack of a minor or helpless individual by a person responsible for their well-being, and abuse of a minor or helpless individual by a person responsible for their well-being.
In July 2020, against the backdrop of previous marital strife, Raz left the couple's home, returning approximately three weeks later by mutual decision.
According to the indictment, during the morning of Friday, February 5, 2021, a verbal argument broke out between Raz and Diana, due to Diana's suspicion that Raz was cheating on her. During the argument, Diana poured a cup of lukewarm coffee on her husband.
At this point, Raz went up to the master bedroom to change his clothing, and removed his Glock handgun from the safe it was kept in in their closet, placing it in its holder on his belt. Afterwards, the couple continued to argue.
At first, Raz left the house, and afterwards Diana left too. When they both returned home, the argument began again, and Raz decided to kill his wife.
In order to do so, he took out a rope 8.2 meters (26.9 feet) long, called the children, sat the older three children on small chairs in the living room, and tied them up, while the baby sat in his high chair near them. Afterwards, Raz took a kitchen knife with a sharpened 20-centimeter (7.87 inches) blade and placed it on the table in the dining area.
When Diana noticed the children tied to the chairs, she became angry and screamed at Raz, and he in response began to hit her in front of the children. He caught her with both hands by the collar of her shirt, pulled her towards the front door, and near the door put his hands around her neck and began to choke her with great force. During the struggle, Diana called to her 7-year-old daughter, telling her to call to the neighbors for help.
Upon hearing her mother's calls, the child managed to get free of her bonds and tried to reach the stairs, in order to reach the neighbor and help her mother, but Raz pulled his daughter strongly by the hand, throwing her down onto the stairs and causing her injuries.
Diana, who was afraid for her life, attempted to open the front door and escape, but Raz prevented her from opening the lock. He took the knife from the table and stabbed her twice in the thigh. Diana continued to struggle and tried to take the knife from him. At this point, he pulled his handgun out of its holder, and in front of his children, while Diana begged for her life, shot one bullet into her thigh and then a second bullet at her head.
Afterwards, the accused called his mother and his commander, and asked them to come as quickly as possible to his home. Only an hour and a half after the deadly shooting, when Raz's commander arrived at the house, did the commander call the police hotline and report the event.
Attorney Tami Kalenberg, who is representing the family of Diana Raz via the Justice Ministry's Sneh program, said: "The family is still shocked and in pain. We met with representatives of the Department for Investigation of Police Officers before the indictment was filed, and the family heard the details of the indictment from them, telling how the worst possible happened. We will ensure that the family's voice and Diana's voice are heard during the trial, and we will ensure they are represented throughout the legal process."