Mitch Israel’s murder case heads to High Court

Mitchell Israel, accused of shooting his wife to death on the grounds of their son’s school, has been found to have a case to respond to at the High Court.

On Tuesday, December 8, as the preliminary inquiry continued, the court heard the evidence from the last prosecution witness in the matter, the Investigator – Detective Sergeant Biorn Duncan.

Duncan’s evidence included a statement on his investigations and an electronic interview conducted with Israel, who is also known as ‘Mitch’.

During the inquiry, teachers from the St Martin’s Secondary School and the two teen sons of the late Arianna Taylor-Israel were also among the multiple witnesses that took the stand. Her sons are said to have testified via Skype.

Israel was represented by counsel Dr Linton Lewis, while the prosecution’s case was led by senior prosecutor Adolphus Delplesche.

At the end of the inquiry, Chief Magistrate Rechanne Browne at the Serious Offences Court (SOC) found that there was sufficient evidence for the matter to be sent up to the High Court for trial.

The inquiry surrounded the incident of January 30, 2020 when Cuban-born nurse Arianna Taylor-Israel was shot multiple times, allegedly by her husband, on the grounds of the St Martin’s Secondary School. The incident occurred at around 3:30 pm, when the mother was in the process of picking up one of their sons who attended the school.

She later succumbed to her injuries at the Milton Cato Memorial Hospital (MCMH) where she worked.

In the wake of her death, hundreds of citizens participated in a candlelight vigil for the fallen woman, who is said to have made numerous reports to the police about death threats towards her.