Shfaram resident Hani Hasson was found guilty by Haifa District Court on Sunday of abducting and murdering his 23-year-old niece in a family "honor killing."

In October 2005, Samar Hasson's body was found hanging in a tree in an olive grove close to the village of Kafr Aablin. Other members of the family, including her father and her uncle, are standing trial separately for their alleged role in the murder.

During the trial, it emerged that Samar was in love with a young Muslim man from the village of Tamra in the Galilee. Her family, however, objected to the relationship, as they are Druze and he a Muslim.

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Some 20 days before her death, Samar Hasson made a complaint to police, saying that she had been the victim of violence from her family due to her connection with the Muslim man.

She later rescinded her complaint, fearing that her family would seek revenge.

On the day of the murder, the three men allegedly kidnapped Samar, strangled her and hanged her from the tree, where her body was found a day later.

Judge Yitzhak Dar said that the murder could have been predicted.