Jerusalem – A haredi man found dead with one hand cuffed in an empty building in Beit Dagan last Friday has been named as Rafael “Zohar” Miriashvili, 25, of Lod, following the lifting of a media gag order by police on Tuesday.
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Hundreds of people attended Mirishvili’s funeral in Lod on Monday evening.
The circumstances of Miriashvili’s death, and the fact that he had served time in prison for attempting to forcefully break up a Jewish – Arab couple, has sparked suspicion he may have been the victim of a revenge slaying.
However, police say an autopsy revealed no signs of foul play. “No gunshot wounds or knife wounds were found by the coroner,” a police spokesman told The Jerusalem Post. “No evidence of criminal wrongdoing was found.”
The investigation is being led by the Central District’s Central Unit.
A police source said all lines of inquiry were being pursued, adding that it was too soon to know whether Miriashvili’s past activities were linked to his death.
Miriashvili, who was a member of Lod’s Chabad community, had been missing for approximately one month, prompting police to launch a missing persons inquiry in late July.
His body was spotted by a tow-truck driver in Beit Dagan on Friday.
Video below of funeral Courtesy of Collive.com
Four years ago, Miriashvili heard a caller on a pirate haredi radio station describe how her daughter, who was under 18 at the time, had entered into a relationship with an allegedly abusive Arab teenager.
The couple had moved in together and were expecting a child, the woman said.
Miriashvili made contact with the woman after receiving her phone number from the radio station, and proposed a “rescue plan.”
Donning Border Police uniforms, Miriashvili and two friends pulled up to the home of the youth in a rented car, arriving in the dead of night. They informed the youth that he was under arrest, and that he would be taken to Ramle’s police station.
As the car sped through the streets of south Tel Aviv, the youth realized he was not in police custody, and jumped out of the car as it traveled at high speed, sustaining light injuries.
He called the police, which apprehended Miriashvili and his two accomplices.
Miriashvili was viewed as the ringleader by the judge presiding over his case, and he was found guilty of kidnapping, battery and conspiracy to commit a crime while carrying a firearm. He received the heaviest prison sentence – one-and-a-half years – which was reduced to a year for good behavior, and was set free a year ago.
Miriasvhili was last seen by his sister in July as he was leaving his home. His family said he had planned to travel to Tsfat to begin a new job.
Family members launched frantic efforts to find him during the first days of Mirivashvili’s disappearance.
A police source told the Post that Mirivashvili’s shoes played a key role in the identification process, since the body was partially decomposed.
Police believe Mirivashvili had been dead for weeks, and sent his body to a corner for a limited postmortem examination on Monday evening, after reaching a compromise deal with members of the Chabad community who initially objected to the procedure.
Who knows? Wondering if a full autopseys would have revealed a murderur, there are some rabbonem that permit full autopsyes to find a rotaach.
I find it hard to belive that there was no foul play then again maybe the Israeli police wants to hush things up so that there wont be a repeat of the nati ozri hy’d funeral
So who handcuffed him? could have died from stravation, dehydration, poison etc.
doesnt anyone else think that what he did was absolutely dangerous and irresponsible? werent there any other ways to get this woman away from the abusive arab other then kidnapping him? of course the arab would take revenge…why wouldnt he ..? especially since they are known for theyre violence and cruelty.
Baruch Dayan Emess
Channel Two TV in Israel reported that it was suicide R”L.
How could no foul play have occurred if he was found dead with one hand handcuffed? That means someone was with him at or immediately prior to the time he died. Certainly it would warrant further extensive investigation, at the very least, and not this abrupt dismissal of any suspicion.
Wow. Hancuffed and in an abandoned building, yet no evidence of foul play. Don’t they teach this stuff in crime scene 101? If you have a body that’s handcuffed chances are that there is ‘foul’ play involved. Should we email them the Hulu.com link to CSI???
Let’s see – autopsy found no evidence of injury. So if it was taki a suicide, ch”v, then one must conclude that it was done by means other than those that cause visible injury to the body (e.g. poison, cutting off oxygen supply R’’L). And if that’s the case, why are they so sure that it was not done by someone else? How can they be so sure there was no foul play?! Are they suggesting that he died of natural means and he just happened to wonder into an abandoned warehouse with a hand-cuff on one hand?
Seems to me there may be serious foul play here on part of the wonderful Israeli police.., but I’m not going to jump to such conclusions without evidence.
Only a society gone mad with ghetto-complex political correctness can convict a person to 18 months of prison for saving a defenseless abused woman out of clutches of the abuser.
Original reports said he was in CHAINS – does not sound self inflicted to me.
WHH
it would be nice if we could turn back the clock and have another go at this story. In the first place, why wasn’t this case a cause celebre? All of Israel would come to his defense, first class lawyers would have stepped up and a conviction might never have happened, or if it did, the State would have wished it didn’t. I have lived in Israel for 13 years and never heard of this story once. Furthermore, Yad L’achim is a wonderful organization, but mainly for PR. I should know, they hired my 15 year old to do some of their PR, which I continue to find astonishing. I highly doubt this was orchestrated by Yad L’Achim, as much as they are enjoying reaping the benefits of this story. I believe this was a committed young man who was true to the cause of rescuing Bnot Yisroel from the clutches of Arab men, and who together with his friends, decided to exact justice. No-one would allow such a conviction in Eretz Yisroel without severe and long lasting ramifications. As far as finding a shidduch, why if people only knew of his heroism and bravery and quick action they would be lining up to marry him! He was a hero, and unfortunately, his own people let him down. Does anyone now understand the obfuscation of the government of Eretz Yisroel? We cannot trust our own country to do what is right in G-D’s eyes.
BDE
May Yad L’Achim continue rescuing victimized women!
Go to their website and donate:
http://www.yadlachimusa.org.il/
why would someone want to extend theyre suffering if they r planning on commiting?????there r many other ways to commit besides handcuffing yourself-handcuffing yourself is a long painful death(starvation,regret etc.)!!!!
definately sounds like foul play!!!!!!!!!!
It was deffinetly foul play, no question about it. It makes me sick the way the police act in Israel, are they stupid or something? what )&%$&!!!!!!!!!!
It was a brave thing for this guy to try to rescue that girl, but it’s unfortunate he had to pay his own life for it. They should look into the Arabs who did this!