The Haifa District Court today (Sunday) convicted Edward Kachura of causing death by negligence, engaging in forbidden sexual relations, and violating a legal provision, in connection with the death of 17-year-old Lital Yael Melnik. However, Kachura was acquitted of the murder charge due to reasonable doubt.
Kachura, who worked as a nurse in the youth department of the Ma'ale HaCarmel Mental Health Center where Melnik had been hospitalized, made contact with her and, following her release, entered into a forbidden relationship.
In 2021, the two went to a construction site in Kiryat Motzkin, where they dug a pit together. Melnik climbed into the pit with a breathing tube in her mouth. Kachura covered her with sand as part of a “ceremony” they had agreed upon and then left the site. Melnik’s body was later found covered in sand, with the tube lying nearby.
The plaintiff argued that Kachura had deliberately removed the tube, preventing her from breathing. The defense, however, claimed that Kachura had left the site while she was still alive.
In its ruling, the court noted that reasonable doubt remained regarding the plaintiff’s version of events. A medical opinion presented by the defense suggested that Melnik’s death may have been accidental, caused by an increase in carbon dioxide levels in her body and loss of consciousness, which led her to inhale sand and gravel.
Nonetheless, the judges emphasized that Kachura’s acquittal of the murder charge does not absolve him of responsibility. The court determined that his actions and omissions enabled the “ceremony” that ultimately led to Melnik’s death. Consequently, he was convicted of causing death by negligence.