The Northern District Attorney’s Office filed this morning (Monday) an indictment against Muhammad Faisal Grifat, a 25-year-old resident of the village of Zarzir, for the murder of 48-year-old Ziad Grifat, who tried to calm the winds in a brawl that broke out in their village. The incident began on the night of Saturday, December 12, 2020, when the police hotline 100 received a report of a 48-year-old man being evacuated from the village of Zarzir to Haemek Hospital in Afula in critical condition, after being attacked during a brawl that broke out among young people in the village.
Police officers who were called to the scene located the scene of the incident near the deceased’s house, and another scene 70 m away. They located 2 large planks with blood marks on them. Investigators began collecting evidence from those present at the scene and already that evening some of them were detained for questioning. The investigation revealed that at 9:30 PM, a conflict began between young people that developed into a brawl at the entrance to the village. An hour later, the brawl resumed, this time near the victim’s house, this time with his son also involved in it and slightly injured in it.
The murdered woman’s wife, who feared for their son’s fate, woke him from his sleep and asked him to try to calm the spirits. Defendant, angry at the assault on his brother in the brawl, emerged at the scene at the time, grabbed a wooden plank that had been thrown at the scene, and struck hard on the head of the victim who at the time was working to try to reconcile the hawkish parties.
The victim collapsed from the blow he received, and he was taken to Haemek Hospital in Afula, unconscious. The medical staff at the hospital had no choice but to determine his death. The suspect fled the scene and fled with other family members from the village for fear of blood revenge. They took with them some of their belongings, sheep and calves apparently to be absent from it for an extended period.
Following the pressure exerted by the police on the family living in and out of the village, the murder suspect turned himself in. Police said police spoke to residents and took further action to prevent conflict between the families living in the same village.
Since he turned himself in and for about a month and a half the defendant denied to police his connection to the deceased and what is attributed to him, however police say investigators link him to the incident using a significant number of witnesses and forensic findings gathered at the scene. This morning with the filing of the indictment against him, the prosecution filed a motion with the court to detain him until the end of the proceedings.
Police point out that so far 16 murder cases have been solved out of 24 committed during 2020 in the Arab sector.