An ultra-Orthodox Jew who killed a participant in last year’s Jerusalem pride parade, was sentence to life in jail and an additional 31-years in prison on Sunday.
Yishai Schlissel was also sentenced to pay damages amounting to NIS 2,064,000.
During the contested march in 2015, Schlissel stabbed and killed 16-year-old Shira Banki and wounded six others – Yarden Noy, Kfir Gil, Noam Eyal, Yael Belkin, Sagiv Satkolshtick and Sheli Bar Niv.
In April, Schlissel was convicted of murder, six counts of attempted murder and one count of causing extreme bodily harm.
The Jerusalem District Court’s three-judge panel of Nava Ben-Or, Refael Yacobi and Arnon Darel, wrote that Schlissel, “in a dark and cruel act, has extinguished the light of her [Shira Banki’s] life,” ending “her dreams and hopes.”
The stabbings garnered across-the-board condemnations, including from Orthodox figures, and drew international attention due to the ferocity of the attack.
Schlissel, who was previously imprisoned for 10 years for stabbing three people at the 2005 Jerusalem Gay Pride Parade, was arrested during the stabbing rampage, just weeks after being released from jail.
The indictment stated that leading up to the parade, Schlissel had called on ultra-Orthodox Jews in Jerusalem and Modi’in Illit to take action against it, and that on the day of the parade he purchased a 15 cm.-long kitchen knife for the purpose of stabbing participants.
