Man in Israel sentenced to 22 years for murder after road dispute
The Nazareth District Court in Israel sentenced Denis Mukin to 22 years in prison for the murder of 19-year-old Diar Omari during a road dispute near Gan Ner in May 2023. The court also ordered Mukin to pay 258,000 shekels to Omari’s estate, barred him from driving for three years, and ordered the confiscation of the Glock pistol used in the shooting.
The prison term will be counted from the day of Mukin’s arrest — May 6, 2023. The court’s decision was reported by the Jerusalem Post.
Details of the conflict
In December, Mukin was found guilty of murder with indifference to the possible consequences. The court found that he was aware of the possibility of Omari’s death but disregarded that risk. A majority of the three judges concluded that the prosecution had not proved beyond a reasonable doubt that Mukin intended to kill the victim. Judge Osayla Abu-Asad disagreed with this part of the verdict, believing that he should have been found guilty of intentional murder.
According to the court’s findings, on the day of the incident Mukin was driving while his license had been revoked and was under the influence of alcohol and cannabis. He and Omari did not know each other. Mukin became angry over Omari’s manner of driving and unsuccessfully tried to overtake him. After a conversation between the drivers, he stopped his vehicle, got out with a pistol, and fired several shots into the air.
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The shooting and sentence
During the subsequent confrontation, Mukin shot Omari twice. One of the bullets struck him in the chest, passed through his heart and lungs, and caused his death. After being wounded, Omari was able to get up and headed toward his car. Mukin then fired three more shots toward his back but missed.
The court also found that after Omari fell, Mukin crossed the road, looked at him, and drove away without providing assistance or calling emergency services. He later returned to the scene with his sister and asked her to tell police that she had been driving. The sister initially confirmed this version but soon retracted her statement.
In addition to murder, Mukin was found guilty of driving after his license was revoked, two counts of driving while intoxicated, inducing another person to obstruct the investigation, and intentional damage to a vehicle. Prosecutors sought life imprisonment, while the defense requested a sentence of 14 to 18 years in prison and cited circumstances close to self-defense. The court rejected this argument, noting that Mukin himself started the conflict by getting out of the car with a pistol and firing into the air.
