17-year-old charged with murder in last month’s killing of married couple

Arab Israeli teen alleged to have shot Olga and Ruslan Prihodko in dispute over ancient coins; police initially probed incident as terrorism, then backtracked

By Charlie Summers

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Today, 5:17 pm

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A 17-year-old boy was charged in court Monday on two counts of aggravated murder for the killing of Olga and Ruslan Prihodko, a Ukrainian-Israeli couple found dead last month in the Judean foothills.

The teenager, a resident of Lod whose name is barred from publication, is accused of fatally shooting the husband and wife while they were on a weekend excursion searching for relics near Mishmar Ayalon.

According to state prosecutors, the teenager got into an argument with the couple after they refused to give him metal detectors they had brought with them to the forest.

He then allegedly left the area for his family’s farm nearby, where he had hidden a Glock pistol he’d purchased earlier that year, then came back to shoot the couple point-blank in the head.

Prosecutors said that after killing the pair, the teenager stole their two metal detectors, credit cards and phones, and fled the scene. He is accused of attempting to stash the murder weapon at his house.

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Police initially began probing the incident as a potential murder-suicide, but later changed course and started investigating possible foul play, enlisting the Shin Bet’s help.

After law enforcement arrested the teen suspect, police started investigating the incident as a possible terror attack, given that the suspect is Arab Israeli.

However, they changed direction again after realizing Ruslan had prior acquaintance with the teenager, having met him at least twice while searching for artifacts.

According to Hebrew media, the couple would often travel to the Judean foothills in search of antiquities, a hobby shared by the suspect. They ran into the suspect several times while he shepherded in the area, Channel 12 reported.

The couple married in Ukraine and immigrated to Israel in 2000. They are survived by a teenage son.

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