Woman Killed by Ex-husband Minutes After Filing Complaint

The ex-husband of a young Petah Tikva woman was arrested for her murder Sunday night, shortly after she returned from the police station where she told officers she feared he would killer her. The suspect, Tsamra Beza, 24, confessed to the murder, police said.

Police officials said the victim, Almo Masarat, 20, was told to wait at the station until an officer arrived to accompany to her home, but did not heed the request.

Beza's remand was extended by a week yesterday after a psychiatrist pronouced him fit to remain in custody. Beza reenacted the crime for police investigators yesterday.

Police say that at 6:30 P.M. Sunday the suspect accosted Masarat near her home, threatened her and said he wanted their 3-year-old son. Masarat escaped after a brief struggle and about an hour later she called police to register an assault complaint. A police car picked up Masarat and her son and brought her to the station.

The detective who recorded Masarat 's statement checked police records and realized that on January 24 Masarat had filed a complaint against Beza with the Rishon Letzion police. She said then that her ex-husband struck her on the head because he suspected she was cheating on him. In February Beza was charged with assault and banned temporarily from Petah Tikva, where Masarat had moved to with their son.

After Masarat finished giving her statement Sunday evening the officer told her to wait for a police car while he asked the Rishon Letzion police to go to Beza's home and arrest him. He summoned a cruiser, and Masarat and her son sat down to wait for it.

At 10:10 P.M., officials at the Petah Tikva station realized that Masarat had left and dispatched officers to her home to make sure she arrived safely. But before the car had left the station neighbors of Masarat called to say they heard screams coming from her building. When the officers and Magen David Adom paramedics reached the scene they found her body, sprawled and covered in blood. Her son was standing by her side.

Police arrested Beza at the scene.

Police officers insisted yesterday they had acted properly. "The detective told Almo to wait for a police car several times," station commander Alon Asur said. "We told her we'd take her home and if anyone knocked not to open the door but call us immediately. The station is very close to her apartment."

Masarat and Beza met at the Safed absorption center. She returned, with their son, to her parents' home in Petah Tikva after he became violent.

"She didn't want to see him any more," her sister said yesterday.