Jail call transcript reveals Razi murder suspects' claims

A dramatic transcript of a recorded conversation between two suspects in the Binyahu Razi z"l murder case has been released, revealing how investigators questioned Agam Tzarfati and Shilat Chuta in detention. The material, broadcast Tuesday evening on i24NEWS, is now being used by the defense as part of its evidence to prove the women's innocence.

In the recorded conversation, Shilat Chuta asks Agam Tzarfati whether she had managed to watch the video footage of the incident. Tzarfati responds that she saw the deceased going up with a cigarette, and notes that simply viewing the recording caused her heart rate to spike and created pressure in her stomach.

The two then turn to discussing the serious charges leveled against them in the interrogation rooms. Chuta describes how investigators aggressively accused her of sending the people who murdered him. Tzarfati reinforces her account, explaining that it was a deliberate attempt to damage them emotionally and break them psychologically.

Later in the conversation, Chuta addresses the possibility of heavy prison sentences being imposed on them, claiming the investigators told her she would sit 25 years in jail. Tzarfati firmly rejects this and encourages her friend not to give in to the investigators' threats but to continue holding to their truth, emphasizing that she did not provide any incriminating information in her interrogation.

The two compare accounts of the moments after the murder as well, confirming they told investigators the same things about Tzarfati's mother and about Nofer, and repeat their claim that they did not know in advance about the intention to murder Binyahu. Chuta notes that she saw only the beginning of the argument and fled the scene in complete shock, while Tzarfati adds that the investigators focused mainly on the fact that they went up to the apartment.

The tension and frustration of the detainees is also expressed in their planning for the court proceedings and in describing the harsh conditions at the Neve Tirza detention facility. Tzarfati declares cynically that she intends to enter the courtroom crying in order to influence those present, while Chuta expresses deep frustration about the proceedings against them and wonders about the basis for the serious suspicions.

The transcript's release comes against the backdrop of the Jerusalem District Court's decision that there is insufficient evidence to support the original murder charge against the two, though the court determined there is prima facie evidence supporting suspicion of aiding and abetting murder.

According to the indictment initially filed against the seven suspects in the case, Shilat Chuta and Agam Tzarfati rented an apartment for the weekend together with the deceased and his friend. After several days they raised claims of violence by the men and traveled to the apartment of Linor Sasson, whom they had not known previously.

There, a violent mobilization began that included arming with assault weapons such as clubs, knives and a sharpened hammer. The investigation revealed that Agam Tzarfati watched the attack live via video call in real time, and even smiled part of the time.

In dramatic and shocking footage released by the police spokesperson from minutes before the murder, the suspects in the case are seen walking together in the heart of the neighborhood, stopping for a brief conversation in the street, and then continuing quickly toward the guesthouse apartment where the incident occurred.

Police emphasized that each of the suspects took an active part in the violent incident that ended in the tragic outcome. Linor Sasson, the mother of one of the suspects, was evacuated last month from Neve Tirza prison to Assaf Harofeh Hospital on suspicion she had suffered a stroke, after complaining of unusual headaches and vision difficulties.