Michal Sela’s husband abused previous partners, probes reveal

The prosecutor’s statement was filed on Friday against Eliran Malul, husband and suspected murderer of Michal Sela, which revealed that he had abused previous partners.

Police had investigated six partners of Malul, two of which claimed he had been violent towards them using imprisonment and indecent acts. Other partners claimed they had been mentally abused.

Malul’s ex-fiancée, who had abruptly ended their engagement, said that these are “very difficult places to open,” and when asked if there was violence in their relationship, she simply said that it is “a matter of definition,” according to Channel 12.

“If there is anything I can help and assist the police with, they are welcome to speak with me... but even that will be very difficult,” she said.

Follow-up investigations into the murder revealed that Malul had been abusive towards Sela prior to the attack, attempting to cut off her contact with other men, including family members.

Police did not rule out the possibility that his conduct was part of an obsession with Sela, which may have led to his violence towards her. However, in the initial report, they claimed that there were no records of prior domestic violence incidents involving the couple.

Police investigators found a diary written by the late Sela in which she described her relationship with Malul as being turned to “shreds,” according to Mako. Investigators believe that the statements found in the diary may have been the motive for murder.

One month prior, in early October, the Jerusalem Magistrate’s Court had rejected the request made by the police to perform a forced psychiatric examination on Malul after he rejected one recommended by a psychiatrist at Hadassah-University Medical Center in Ein Kerem, where he was hospitalized, which led to his transfer from the hospital to prison.

The police refuse to comment on the probe due to Malul’s refusal to cooperate and both give evidence and undergo a psychiatric evaluation.

The medical opinion released by the hospital on Malul stated that “he is not in a mental state which requires therapeutic psychiatric intervention,” according to Ynet.

Malul had killed Sela one month prior in their Motza home in front of their eightmonth-old baby. She was found with multiple stab wounds. Neighbors had called the police after Malul had come to their door, covered in blood, and given them the baby, after which he reportedly fainted. He was found with stab wounds to his stomach and neck in serious condition.