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3 arrested in murder of Israeli expat in Los Angeles

Police say Israeli man was held captive, beaten and left to die in Los Angeles home invasion.

By World Israel News Staff

The Los Angeles Police Department announced the arrest of three suspects for their alleged involvement in the murder of an Israeli citizen on Saturday.

Alexander Modebadze, 47, was discovered dead in his Woodland Hills home early Saturday morning.

Modebaze immigrated to Israel from the former Soviet republic of Georgia. He held Israeli citizenship but moved to the United States years ago.

“LAPD Marshal’s Taskforce officers, with the assistance of the FBI, located the suspects hours after the incident,” the police said in a statement.

In a media statement, police identified the suspects in Modebadze’s murder as 38-year-old Paata Kochyashvili, 46-year-old Zaza Otarashvili and 52-year-old Besiki Khutsishvili. According to Hebrew-language news reports, all three are believed to be members of the Georgian-Jewish community.

According to police, the trio were involved in an ongoing financial dispute with Modebadze. They reportedly broke into his home, holding him captive for several hours while assaulting him.

Eventually, the men were said to have stolen Modebadze’s property before fleeing the home, leaving him to die of his wounds.

Residents of Modabadze’s neighborhood said they were disturbed by the grisly slaying.

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“[There’s a] school right across the street and kids playing… it’s a good neighborhood,” Maceo Allen, a neighbor, told Fox 11 News. “I just pray for the victim’s family to seek justice for what happened. It’s really sad.”

Another neighbor, Toni Witte, described Modebadze as a “very nice guy, always out with his dog.”

Witte added that she was “very sad” about his murder.

“These are people we knew who prayed with us in the synagogue,” a community member told Hebrew-language outlet Mako. “It’s hard to believe that something like this happened among us.”

Shlomi Eldar, the Israeli consul in Los Angeles, told Mako that he is providing support and assistance to Modabadze’s family.