Man knifes 'witch' girlfriend after cops leave scene - Haaretz

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Wed., October 24, 2007 ,

Israel Time: 02:13 (EST+7)

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Man knifes 'witch' girlfriend after cops leave scene

By Roni Singer-Heruti

A Petah Tikva man was arrested yesterday on suspicion of attempting to murder his live-in girlfriend. The 34-year-old victim was taken to the hospital yesterday morning in serious condition, suffering from cuts to her throat and face, contusions and burns. Konstantin Butchkarnikov, 30, confessed to the act, saying he thought his girlfriend was a witch.

Police responded to a call from a neighbor complaining about the suspect's drunk and disorderly conduct, but left without questioning him or searching his apartment once he had gone inside and shut the door. They told the neighbor to "call the police if it happens again." Several hours later, other officers from the same station returned to the scene after receiving a report of an injured woman.

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In view of the police's apparent mishandling of the case, an officer has been appointed to review the conduct of the officers involved.

Butchkarnikov and his partner have lived together for about a year. They moved into the apartment on the corner of Nordau and Haim Ozer streets in the center of Petah Tikva six months ago. Most of the apartments are occupied by offices, and the few neighbors had little to say about the couple.

According to one version, the Russian-speaking neighbor who called the police told the officers to look for the girlfriend, explaining that she had heard the woman screaming earlier. But the police did not want to break down his door. According to the three officers who responded to the call, only one of whom spoke Russian, the neighbor told them that the woman had left, so they decided not to break into the suspect's apartment.

Yesterday morning the neighbor noticed his door was open, and found the girlfriend covered in blood. Police called to the building identified the suspect standing on the street corner, and arrested him after a brief chase. He told police that he thought his partner was a witch, and that he meant to break her spine but failed, so decided to pour vodka over her and set her on fire.

The suspect's remand was extended by seven days and he was sent for a psychiatric evaluation.

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