The Nazareth District Court and Zadorov’s attorneys have been informed of the state attorney’s decision, it said.
Zadorov was convicted in 2010 and again in 2014 of murdering the 13-year-old girl at the Nofei Golan Middle School in Katzrin. He has been the subject of great controversy and speculation, as doubts have been raised regarding his guilt.
Following a thorough examination of the case, the state attorney said there is a reasonable chance of a third conviction for Zadorov, but a retrial is in the public interest and should be carried out.
“Zadorov fell into the corrupt police officers’ trap. The interrogators, in cooperation with the prosecution, framed him,” Ilan said in the interview, adding that “the police aren’t willing to admit it.”
Melcer wrote in his decision: “Facts, or evidence, have been discovered that may change the outcome of the trial in favor of the applicant.”
“It is a disappointment,” Zadorov’s attorney Yarom Halevy said. “The state attorney made a bad call” regarding the decision to hold a retrial. “Roman has been cheated in his trial, and everyone should know that the moment the prosecution decides to hold a retrial, it will be a fake trial.”
“I am strong-willed,” he said. “The trial will be a battle of integrity over Roman’s innocence.”