Mother Acquitted of Murdering 6-Year-Old Son Due to Insanity, Sentenced to 25 Years in Psychiatric Facility

Tel Aviv, Israel — A Tel Aviv court on Sunday acquitted Sigal Yana Itzkovich of criminal responsibility for the brutal 2024 murder of her six-year-old son, Liam, citing her “active psychotic state” at the time of the killing.

The Tel Aviv District Court ordered Itzkovich to be confined to a psychiatric facility for 25 years instead of serving a prison sentence.

The court’s decision followed a professional psychiatric assessment that determined Itzkovich was not in control of her actions when she fatally stabbed her son in their Herzliya home on July 16, 2024.

Itzkovich was initially indicted in August 2024 on charges including aggravated murder, aggravated assault, killing an animal, and obstruction of justice.

According to prosecutors, Itzkovich was alone with Liam when she took a kitchen knife, stabbed the family dog, and then stabbed her son multiple times in the bathtub, killing him. She later returned to end the dog’s life with a knife and an axe after hearing its cries.

Following the incident, Itzkovich was seen on security footage approaching a Herzliya mall barefoot, covered in blood, and wielding an axe. She attacked a security guard before being disarmed.

During police interrogation, Itzkovich allegedly confessed to the murder, claiming she had taken drugs and ingested nail polish prior to the attack.

In court appearances following her indictment, she made disturbing statements, alleging that her family had been “abducted by aliens” and subjected to atrocities.

On Sunday, after the verdict was read, Itzkovich addressed the judges, expressing remorse for her actions.

“I was not in a state in which I could understand what was going on around me. This could have been prevented had my husband not left me. I was attacked by aliens. I’m sorry for my actions,” she reportedly said.

Liam’s father, Doron, expressed mixed emotions after the ruling, stating that while Itzkovich would not return home, he did not perceive the verdict as an acquittal.

“She’s sick, and she needs to receive treatment, and that’s okay. What happened happened. I don’t have a way of explaining the pain because it hurts so much,” he told Channel 12.

The court’s decision also included criticism of Israel’s welfare authorities, highlighting missed signs of Itzkovich’s deteriorating mental health.

Reports detailed incidents such as her allegedly allowing Liam to play with bleach and a separate occasion when she stood with her infant son on the roof of their apartment building, threatening to jump until police intervened.

The case has sparked renewed scrutiny of Israel’s mental health care and social services, with many questioning how the warning signs were overlooked. Authorities have yet to respond to the court’s criticism.