Killed with hammer blows - and hid the body in a barrel: Jerusalem resident charged with murder of Fatima Rajabi
An indictment was filed against Salah Othman, a resident of the At-Tur neighborhood in Jerusalem, for the aggravated murder of Fatima Rajabi. According to the suspicion, the murder was carried out over a financial debt. Othman struck Rajabi with a hammer, hid her body in a barrel, and withdrew 15,000 shekels from her account.
An indictment was filed this morning (Monday) against Salah Othman, 48, a resident of the At-Tur neighborhood in Jerusalem, for the aggravated murder of Fatima Rajabi, which occurred about three weeks ago. According to the indictment, filed through attorney Nati Ben Hamo of the Jerusalem District Attorney's Office, the murder was planned over a financial debt the suspect owed the victim. Othman purchased a barrel in advance to hide the body. The two met, and Othman struck Fatima on the head with a hammer several times. After noticing she was moving, he struck her again. In the hours following the murder, Othman drove to various locations in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv with her body in the back seat of his car, and discarded her belongings. He stole her credit card and withdrew 15,000 shekels from her account. Later, he arrived at his home at night, removed the body and placed it into the barrel using force, and poured sealing material to prevent the smell of decay. Othman hid for several days until a relative turned him in to the police. The indictment attributes to him offenses of aggravated murder, destruction of evidence, theft of a payment card, credit card fraud, and theft.