Linor Sasson, who is accused of being an accessory to the murder of Benayahu Razi in July, must remain in custody for the time being, the Jerusalem District Court ruled on Tuesday.
There is evidence to suggest Sasson helped the murderers flee after the attack, and she obstructed the investigation, the court ruled.
The court declined to release Sasson to house arrest at this stage. It ordered the Welfare and Social Affairs Ministry’s Probation Service to submit an assessment within 30 days. Her detention will be reconsidered at a hearing on October 22.
Sasson, 46, is the mother of Avior Sasson, one of the four minors charged with Razi’s murder. She is not accused of participating in the killing itself.
Her attorney sought her release to house arrest under electronic monitoring, saying she faces the lesser charges of assisting after the fact and obstruction of justice.
The prosecutors opposed her immediate release, citing her criminal record, but agreed that the Probation Service could examine a possible alternative to detention.
A finding of preliminary evidence does not determine guilt. Instead, it means the court found sufficient support for the charges at this stage of the detention proceedings. The main trial has not yet begun.
Seven indicted for different roles in killing
Seven people were indicted in August. The prosecutors accuse them of different roles in the killing.
Agam Tzarfati, 19, of Jerusalem, Shilat Huta, 20, of Beersheba, and four minors aged about 15 to 17 year old were charged with murder and aggravated assault.
The prosecutors said the six had agreed to attack Razi and his friend, while the four minors carried out the physical assault that killed him.
According to the indictments, the group gathered at Sasson’s home after Tzarfati and Huta said Razi and his friend had attacked them during an earlier dispute.
The prosecutors said Sasson had later driven the group toward the rented apartment in Jerusalem’s Nahlaot neighborhood where Razi was staying. The indictment said she had warned them not to do anything.
After the attack, Sasson allegedly helped members of the group flee. Those allegations form the basis of the charges against her.
Razi, 19, was stabbed to death in the apartment on July 11. His friend was also attacked and wounded.
Tzarfati and Huta remain in custody pending a hearing on October 19. Their attorneys intend to say the prosecution has not presented sufficient preliminary evidence to support the murder charges against them.
The four minors also remain in custody. Their next hearing is scheduled for November.