Five of the nine Arabs tried for the murder of Jacob and Elijah Abushdid and Moses and Jacob Gouzlan during last August’s massacre in Hebron were sentenced to death yesterday by Judges Corrie and de Frietas, after two hours of deliberation, in the Criminal Assize Court. The other four Arabs were acquitted because of insufficient evidence.
The counsel for the defense finished his plea at 6 P. M., and the judges conferred until 8 P. M., when they read the brief judgment. All of the condemned Arabs live in Hebron. There were originally twelve Arabs charged with the Abushdid and Gouzlan murders, but the others were discharged some weeks ago.
When the trial opened in the middle of February, Abraham Abushdid, 16 years old, an eye-witness to the murders, graphically described to the court how four of the accused armed with swords stabbed his father, and one Abdel Shakear struck the witness with an axe, took his shoes and picked his pockets.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
