Esther Horgan’s killer indicted: ‘Struck her in the head until she stopped moving’

Muhammad Cabha was indicted in the killing of the Jewish woman who was out for a jog.

By David Isaac, World Israel News

The terrorist killer of Esther Horgan, a mother of six, was indicted by IDF prosecutors in a military court on Thursday.

Muhammad Cabha, 40, from an Arab town near Jenin, admitted to killing Horgan, 52, while she was out for a morning jog in the Reihan forest near her home in the settlement of Tal Menashe on Dec. 20.

Her body was found in the early hours of Monday morning after her family reported her missing. Cabha had smashed her skull in with a rock.

According to the indictment, the terrorist was in the forest to collect mushrooms. When Horgan came across him, she was startled and ran away. After about 15 meters he caught up with her, grabbed her hands while she shouted, threw her at a pile of stones, picked up a rock and hit her on the head until her body stopped moving and her voice fell silent.

Cabha then returned to his home, showered, changed clothes and fled to the mountains until he was captured by security forces. Cabha’s relatives and friends helped him hide before he was apprehended. Several arrests have been made of those who assisted him.

According to an earlier statement, Cabha said he had planned for six weeks to kill a Jew after a friend of his died in prison. Cabha himself has served time for terror-related activities.

Cabha originally wanted to carry out a shooting attack on IDF security forces but abandoned the plan due to the high cost of obtaining a firearm. After scouting out a suitable area for an attack, he settled on the spot where he eventually killed Horgan, noting a nearby breach in the security fence and the fact that Israelis occasionally passed by the relatively secluded locale.

News of the indictment comes a day after Israel’s Supreme Court gave the go-ahead to the IDF to destroy Cabha’s home. The demolition of his home had been scheduled for Jan. 21 but following a petition from Cabha’s family, the court issued an interim order halting the process.

Israel often uses home demolitions as a means of deterrence against attacks.