Police have arrested a 64 year-old man from Rishon Lezion on suspicion of murdering bankrupt real estate developer Eldad Peri. The suspect, who has no criminal record, bought two apartments from Peri, which Peri had personally guaranteed. The police believe that the suspect personally came to Rehovot last month on his motorbike and shot Peri, 44, dead.
A police investigator in the case asked Judge Tal Anar in the Rishon Lezion Magistrates Court this morning to extend the suspect's remand for 15 days. The investigator said, "The strength of the reasonable suspicion is one of the highest I have seen recently. Already at this stage the strength of suspicion is very high."
The court heard that the police had seized the suspect's motorbike and gun, for which he has a license. The police have made initial ballistic tests as to whether the gun had fired the shots that killed Peri. The police also said that there had been attempts to pervert the course of justice.
However, the suspect's defense attorney Adv. Sassi Gez insisted that the death of Peri was not in his client's interest because he was signed in a personal guarantee. Gez also claimed that his client had no motive to kill Peri. "The dead man had many enemies. Very many people could be suspects. The last person who wanted him dead was the accused. Everyone who had bought an apartment, would not in the nature of things murder the man who owed him because he would lose all the money."
Judge Anar agreed that the allegations against the suspect were strong enough to warrant the extension of his remand for 10 days. "The investigative material links the suspect to the place of the murder with technological and other evidence," the judge said.
Published by Globes, Israel business news - en.globes.co.il - on November 7, 2021.
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