Dan Agam Cohen, 44, was indicted on Wednesday for murdering his sister, Maya, 49, and burying her body in the yard of their family home in Hadera.
Cohen lived in Tel Aviv. He inherited the family home along with his three other siblings. The house belonged to their parents, and it had been divided equally among the four of them.
Maya had purchased Dan’s portion of the home. About two months ago, she permitted him to live in the house temporarily while she resided in an added apartment in the basement.
Police investigations showed that during this time frame, Cohen would routinely threaten Maya’s life, telling her that she should “get used to being underground. Cohen would also wield a knife at her, damage her property, and file false police complaints against her.
Maya obtained a restraining order against him.
The indictment details that he left the property on April 1, but he continued to violate the order and kept returning to the residence.
Cohen eventually stole Maya’s laptop and iPad, which Maya used for work and creative projects. He proceeded to read private messages between the siblings on that laptop, which angered him.
That was the moment Cohen decided that he would kill his sister. On April 27, he arrived in the garden of the residence with a knife, ready to ambush Maya. When she came home, he hit her, slit her throat, stabbed her dozens of times, and choked her.
After this, while she was lying on the ground, Cohen stole her credit card, walked to the nearby shop, and used it to purchase snacks and wine.
He buried her body in the backyard, covering the burial spot with a table covered in a tablecloth and other items.
He further obstructed the site by cleaning the apartment, washing his clothes of the blood, and hiding any other bloody objects in a fountain.
The next day, concerned family members and friends arrived at the home since Maya was not answering their messages.
They found Cohen sitting on a bench. One of Maya’s other brothers then began to dig in the yard and found her body.
Ten charges were levied against Cohen, and the prosecution requested that his arrest be extended until the legal proceedings terminate.