The state will initiate a criminal investigation into the death last August of Rudy Bellard, an American citizen who went on a hunger strike while in custody awaiting deportation.

Bellard, who preferred to be called "King David," was one of the best-known of Jerusalem's street people. He came to Israel as a tourist in 2000and is thought to have suffered from "Jerusalem Syndrome," which was manifested in the belief that he was a descendant of the biblical King David.

In April 26 Bellard was arrested after being involved in a fight. When police discovered he did not have a valid visa, he was jailed at Maasiyahu Prison and deportation proceedings were initiated. As it turned out, he could not be deported because he did not possess a passport, and he refused to give his real name so that he could be issued a new one.

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Bellard went on hunger strike when prison authorities refused his demand for organically grown food. "He told me he tried to eat [the prison food], but it blocked his bowels. I don't think that's what really happened, but that's how he experienced it," related a friend of Bellard's, Rachel Sover.

Even after being hospitalized in the Israel Prison Service mental health ward, Bellard refused to eat. He died of cardiac arrest on August 11, after being in a coma for a month.

Last week, after reviewing the results of an internal prison service investigation into the incident, the State Prosecutor's Office announced it was launching a criminal investigation into Bellard's death.
The prison service released the following statement: "From the information that we have, it appears that no causative connection exists between the death of the deceased and the actions of the service. However, because the issue is being dealt with by the police, we cannot make any additional comments."