The State Prosecutor's Office filed an indictment with the Jerusalem District Court against Liel Ifergan, 26, of Beit Shemesh, charging him with the aggravated murder of Hillel Mordechai Dadon and the attempted murder of Hillel's cousin.
The indictment states that Ifergan stabbed the two children while they were playing in a swimming pool in the yard of a home in Beit Shemesh.
According to the indictment, last month Hillel arrived at his uncle's home in the afternoon and played in the pool with his cousin. At approximately 4:38 p.m., while the children were in the pool and the cousin's father was in the kitchen, Ifergan allegedly ran out of a housing unit in the neighboring home, where he lives with his father and brother, carrying a knife.
Ifergan then entered the yard, approached the pool, stabbed Hillel once in the chest and his cousin once in the neck, intending to kill them both. After the cousin cried out in pain, Ifergan fled back to the housing unit and cleaned the blood off the knife.
The stabbing caused Hillel severe injuries to his chest, resulting in his death. The indictment states that the stab wound damaged, among other areas, his lung and the membrane surrounding his heart, and that he died as a result of the injuries.
Hillel's cousin was wounded on the right side of his neck and suffered active bleeding. He was rushed into surgery, sedated and placed on a ventilator, and remained hospitalized for three days.
The indictment charges Ifergan with intentional murder under aggravated circumstances, attempted murder, and aggravated and severe bodily harm. The prosecution has asked the court to order that Ifergan remain in custody until the conclusion of the legal proceedings against him.
"We share in the profound grief of the family of Hillel Mordechai Dadon, of blessed memory, and pray for the full recovery of his cousin," the State Prosecutor's Office said. "It is difficult to comprehend the contrast between two children innocently playing in a pool and the defendant's decision to arm himself with a knife and take their lives."
"The indictment filed today reflects the extraordinary severity of the acts attributed to the defendant and the grave and irreversible consequences they caused," prosecutors added.