Bloodied suspect carrying samurai sword charged with brutal beating of woman, killing her dog

An indictment was filed on Thursday against Lior Saraf, 50, from Kfar Saba, for a severe assault on a female friend and the killing of her dog.

Saraf, who walked out into the street carrying a samurai sword while covered in blood, is accused of punching his friend repeatedly until she lost consciousness. Upon returning home and finding the dog licking her wounds, he threw a hammer at the dog and subsequently stabbed it to death with a kitchen knife.

The prosecution submitted the indictment to the Central District Court in Lod, requesting that Saraf be remanded in custody until the end of legal proceedings. Court documents indicate that after the assault and the killing of the dog, he washed the knife. During the course of events, he also showered to remove bloodstains from his body. His friend was left bleeding in the home without him calling for medical assistance.

The incident took place during the night between October 8 and October 9. According to the indictment, the friendship between Saraf and the complainant had been severed after a dispute and was renewed about a month earlier. That evening, around 10:00 PM, he arrived at her home, where he met her and another guest. About an hour later, the three traveled to his home in Kfar Saba, where Saraf and his friend used drugs and drank alcohol. The guest left after midnight, leaving the two alone.

Later, they entered the shower together. Afterward, the went to the bedroom and called for Saraf to join her. He initially refused, but after she called him again, he entered the room, approached her, and kissed her at her request. At that point, according to the indictment, he began punching her in the face repeatedly until she lost consciousness.

Saraf then went to a storage room, retrieved a samurai sword, and walked out into the street. He went to another home in the neighborhood, placed the sword near the gate, and entered the yard, where three people were sitting and talking. They noticed the bloodstains on his body, face, and hands and offered to escort him to Meir Medical Center. Saraf agreed. However, upon arriving at the hospital entrance, he asked them to wait and said he would return immediately. Instead of entering, he fled. The three individuals alerted the police.

Around 3:45 AM, Saraf returned home. According to the indictment, his friend was bleeding and severely bruised, while his dog, a Siberian Husky, was licking her wounds. Saraf pulled a hammer from a drawer and threw it at the dog. The dog fled to another room. He then took a large kitchen knife, followed it, and stabbed the dog in the abdomen, killing it.

He then pulled the knife from her body and washed it in the kitchen sink. Documents describe how, during the events, he also showered to remove bloodstains from his body. He did not provide medical aid to his friend or call for help.

Around 4:00 AM, police officers arrived at the home following a call to the 100 emergency hotline. They found the injured woman and summoned Magen David Adom paramedics. She was evacuated to Meir Medical Center, suffering from multiple facial fractures, including a comminuted nasal fracture with a damaged septum, a fractured cheekbone, and additional fractures in the sinus area. She also suffered eye trauma and contusions across her face, neck, and arm. She required stitches and was hospitalized for three days.

The detention request details the various accounts Saraf provided during interrogations. Initially, he claimed his friend fell in the shower and that the dog attacked her. He later confessed to beating her and killing the dog. In one of his versions, he claimed God had revealed Himself to him and that he saw the complainant as a devil that he had to kill. Later, he claimed God instructed him not to kill her, but rather to offer a sacrifice like the binding of Isaac, which led him to stab the dog. In his third interrogation, he claimed he believed another person was present in the apartment and that his friend was planning to harm him.

Alongside the testimony of the complainant, the prosecution presented body camera footage from the responding officers, photographs of bloodstains in the home and of the dog's body, and medical records documenting the woman's injuries. Security camera footage from a neighboring home captured Saraf carrying the sword on his back. Neighbors reported seeing him stained with blood and later hearing screams and barking that ceased before police arrived. The municipal veterinary report confirmed that the dog died from an abdominal stab wound inflicted by a sharp object.

Police also seized 48.08 grams of cannabis and under two grams of hashish from the living room table. According to the indictment, Saraf possessed the drugs not for personal consumption.

The indictment, filed by attorney Neta Fonis-Elharar of the Central District Attorney's Office, charges Saraf with aggravated assault, animal cruelty, obstruction of justice, possession of a knife, and drug possession not for personal consumption. He has been in custody since October 9.

In the request to detain him until the end of the proceedings, the prosecution cited the severe assault of his friend and the killing of the dog as evidence of his dangerousness. The prosecution added that it would not oppose referring him for a psychiatric evaluation.

In a separate incident, Daniel Azaria arrived at the business where his ex-girlfriend used to work, his face covered and carrying a hammer and a gallon of gasoline.

According to the indictment filed against him, he attempted to break the glass doors, poured gasoline near the entrance, and set the fire. As the flames caught, he fled to his home. Azaria, 35, from Rehovot, was arrested on October 7 and is charged with arson.

The incident occurred on September 3, 2026, at the offices of the Pandoor Doors company in Rishon LeZion. Azaria's ex-girlfriend worked at the location between 2017 and 2022, but the reason why he chose to set fire to the business remains unknown to the prosecution, as noted in the indictment.

According to the charges, Azaria prepared in advance by equipping himself with a hammer and a gallon of gasoline. Around 1:00 AM, he left his parents' home in Rehovot, where he was living at the time, and got into his vehicle. He drove to the business, parked nearby, and walked toward the entrance wearing a mask.

Footage obtained by Walla shows the events at the entrance to the business: Azaria striking the glass doors with a hammer and subsequently pouring fuel. According to the indictment, after attempting to break the doors, he set fire to the area where he had poured the gasoline. As the fire broke out, he left the scene and fled home.

A passerby who noticed the flames called the police. He alerted emergency crews, who arrived and helped extinguish the fire. Other businesses operate adjacent to the site. The fire activated the venue's sprinkler system. According to the indictment, the fire caused minor damage to equipment and the business's door. Additionally, the sprinklers that were activated following the arson required replacement.