During the sixth hearing regarding Omri Peretz and Maxim Barberman, suspects in the murder of Eldar Dayan, new developments were revealed in the investigation, which has been ongoing for approximately 24 days. According to Walla reports, police representatives claimed in court that Peretz initially stated he did not possess a mobile phone, only turning it over to authorities later. Investigators are now checking if content was deleted from the device before it came into their possession. Conversely, counsel for Peretz emphasized that he is cooperating with the investigation and denies any connection to the allegations.
The central dispute in the case remains the absence of forensic findings directly linking the suspects to Dayan's death. The case currently relies on testimonies and timeline analysis, as the report from the Institute of Forensic Medicine has not yet been completed. Defense attorneys argue that the lack of DNA or fingerprints from the crime scene weakens the suspicion, while police point to contradictions in the suspects' accounts and security footage that calls their version of the moment they parted from Dayan into question.
Another significant aspect of the investigation concerns an act of violence that preceded Dayan's disappearance, in which Barberman was accused of making a death threat. Simultaneously, five suspects involved in a brawl with the deceased were re-arrested, leading the defense to argue that the intensity of suspicion against their clients must be re-evaluated, as injuries from the brawl could have led to his death. Police clarified that the investigation is proceeding in several directions. Judge Ronen Peleg ruled that despite the lack of final forensic evidence, reasonable suspicion exists to justify continued detention, noting contradictions in testimonies. The issue of the body's disappearance despite extensive field searches remains a focus, with police claiming the state of the body explains why it was not located in the initial stages. For the parties involved, the practical implication is that the extended detention is intended to allow for complex investigative actions, including the extraction of data from Peretz's phone and awaiting a final pathological report, which may determine the case's outcome.