Who killed Tair Rada? Inside Israel's true crime obsession
Who killed Tair Rada? Inside Israel's true crime obsession
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There is little about the limestone courthouse in Nazareth, a predominantly Arab city in northern Israel, to suggest that it would be the most talked about trial in Israel.
Only three rows of seats make up the public galleries of the courtroom. This means that the mother of the murder victim may find herself sitting directly behind the wife of her daughter's alleged killer. The place is so ill-equipped for spectators that if a prosecutor chooses to play the defendant's confession on video – as happened when I attended on a Sunday in March – the melee of journalists and photographers must tense up behind their laptop to watch.
The case of Tair Rada, a 13-year-old girl who was found with her throat slit in a college bathroom stall, has fascinated the country almost since when she was killed in 2006. The murder took place in broad daylight in Katzrin, a sleepy town in northern Israel. "A 'Twin Peaks' story," as a journalist covering the trial told me. In 2010, a Ukrainian-born man named Roman Zdorov was convicted of the murder and sentenced to life in prison. But doubts about his guilt have weighed on the case, providing the material for no less than six prime-time investigations and as many books. Last year, a Supreme Court judge granted Zdorov a new trial. Over the past 10 months, 85 witnesses have testified. For the most part, the case grabbed the headlines, often overshadowing interest in the ongoing corruption trial of Benjamin Netanyahu, the country's longest-serving former prime minister.
To hear more audio stories from publications like the New York Times, download Audm for iPhone or Android.
There is little about the limestone courthouse in Nazareth, a predominantly Arab city in northern Israel, to suggest that it would be the most talked about trial in Israel.
Only three rows of seats make up the public galleries of the courtroom. This means that the mother of the murder victim may find herself sitting directly behind the wife of her daughter's alleged killer. The place is so ill-equipped for spectators that if a prosecutor chooses to play the defendant's confession on video – as happened when I attended on a Sunday in March – the melee of journalists and photographers must tense up behind their laptop to watch.
The case of Tair Rada, a 13-year-old girl who was found with her throat slit in a college bathroom stall, has fascinated the country almost since when she was killed in 2006. The murder took place in broad daylight in Katzrin, a sleepy town in northern Israel. "A 'Twin Peaks' story," as a journalist covering the trial told me. In 2010, a Ukrainian-born man named Roman Zdorov was convicted of the murder and sentenced to life in prison. But doubts about his guilt have weighed on the case, providing the material for no less than six prime-time investigations and as many books. Last year, a Supreme Court judge granted Zdorov a new trial. Over the past 10 months, 85 witnesses have testified. For the most part, the case grabbed the headlines, often overshadowing interest in the ongoing corruption trial of Benjamin Netanyahu, the country's longest-serving former prime minister.
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