The family of the slain Katzrin teen Tair Rada sought the counsel of attorneys Moshe and Shira Maroz on Friday, and requested that they represent the family in questioning the reliability of the police's murder investigation.

The attorneys said that they believe that there are other leads that the police should have pursued but neglected to do so. "In our opinion, the police are trying to verify an initial lead instead of exploring other directions. It seems the police prefer to focus on the familiar," they said.

The attorneys said Friday they would request that the police transfer all case materials to the family and their private investigator Alex Peleg. "In a controversial case such as this, it is important to involve the family in the investigation," said the two lawyers.

	Advertisement

Earlier Friday, the Acre Magistrate's Court extended by one week the remand of Roman Zadarov, the Katzrin resident suspected of murdering Rada.

Zadarov, who has been in police custody for about two weeks, retracted a confession he had given earlier, in which he claimed to have killed 13-year-old Tair Rada in a spurt of anger following an argument between the two.

The suspect on Friday repeated that he was innocent of the crime and that his confession had been extracted under duress. He added that he believed he could return home within two weeks.

During his confession, Zadarov had said he had killed Rada in a fit of anger after she swore at him for refusing to give her a cigarette. On Friday, Zadarov apologized to the family and said the girl had not asked him for a cigarette.

Zadarov's wife Olga said her husband was not, and had never been, a violent man. She expressed hope to meet her husband at home, and not in jail, in the near future.

Defense attorney David Spiegal said he hoped the police would resume investigating other leads.

Judge Jamal Nasser said that if an affidavit was not submitted by next Wednesday's hearing, police would have to present new evidence before requesting an additional extension of Zadarov's remand.

Police are still awaiting the results of tests collected from the bathroom stall where Rada's body was found. Police believe that Rada's murder was sexually motivated.

Zadarov, who is not a citizen, is believed to have entered Israel as a tourist in 2002, and was employed on the basis of forged work permits. In 2005 he married an Israeli woman and applied for citizenship.

Rada's body was found on December 6 in a bathroom stall in the Nofei Golan school, where she was enrolled as a student. Police initially believed Rada was murdered as a consequence of teen violence.