Nicolai Bonner

Case overview

Nicolai Bonner was an Israeli serial killer who, in 2005, under heavy influence of alcohol (vodka), murdered four immigrants from the former Soviet Union, three of them homeless, in an industrial area of Haifa.

The victims were all beaten, their faces bruised, and attempts were made to set their bodies on fire. Their bodies were found in an industrial area of Haifa, Israel's third largest city, major port, and center of heavy industry. The bodies were badly burned and charred black beyond recognition. Bonner did this to hide evidence.

Bonner was born in Moldavia and immigrated to Israel in 2000 with his Jewish wife, who later died of tuberculosis. After his capture, Bonner claimed he degraded the homeless partly because he could not get over his wife's death.

People

• Nicolai Bonner — defendant; serial killer
• Valeri Soznov — victim; 32
• Alexander Levant — victim; 34
• Alexander Kars — victim; 39
• Rita Wolman — victim; 54
• Arkia Wohlman — victim; 52
• Alexander Keres — victim (age not stated)
• Nir Meriesh — Haifa Police Chief Asst.-Cmdr.; police officer
• Ofer Cohen — Bonner’s defense attorney
• Bonner’s daughter — referenced by Bonner during statements

Timeline

• 2000 — Bonner immigrated to Israel from Moldova with his Jewish wife.
• January 2003 — Bonner’s wife died of tuberculosis.
• One month after the death of his wife — Bonner requested a leave of absence from his job at a Jaffa pipe factory.
• 2004 — In all of 2004, there were eight murders in Haifa.
• February 9, 2005 — Arkia Wohlman, 52, was found dead in her Haifa apartment; Bonner allegedly followed her and beat her to death after she spurned his advances.
• During the following month — Bonner killed Alexander Levnat during a fight over a bottle of vodka on Haifa’s Rehov Barzilai.
• At the end of March (2005) — Police found the body of Valery Suchnov in an abandoned building on Rehov Gush Halav in Haifa.
• Beginning of May (2005) — The final known victim, Alexander Keres, had his body discovered in an abandoned city building.
• Sunday, May 30, 2005 — Haifa Police arrested a serial killer who had confessed to murdering four homeless people.
• Two months after the body of Valeri Soznov was uncovered — Police began to link Bonner to the murders.
• November 7, 2006 — The Haifa District Court convicted Nicolai Bonner, 33, of premeditated murders and rape in the serial killings.
• May 6, 2007 — The Haifa District Court sentenced Nicolai Bonner to four consecutive life sentences in prison.

The offence

Bonner murdered four immigrants from the former Soviet Union in 2005 in Haifa. Three victims were homeless. The victims were beaten and their faces bruised. Attempts were made to set their bodies on fire, resulting in bodies that were badly burned and charred black beyond recognition.

Bonner had also been charged with burning the victims, destruction of evidence, and interfering with judicial proceedings.

The investigation described a pattern targeting homeless people who regularly wandered through the city.

Police said Bonner generally targeted homeless people. Police also said Bonner beat and murdered his victims and then burned their bodies, mostly in abandoned buildings.

Victims and alleged circumstances

• Arkia Wohlman, 52 — found dead in her Haifa apartment; Bonner allegedly followed her and beat her to death after she spurned his amourous advances.
• Alexander Levnat — killed on Haifa’s Rehov Barzilai during a fight over a bottle of vodka; at first police failed to recognize it as homicide because the body was so badly burned they were unable to determine the cause of death.
• Valery Suchnov / Valeri Soznov, 32 — a body was found in an abandoned building on Rehov Gush Halav; police linked the murders to Bonner after the body of Valeri Soznov was discovered.
• Alexander Keres — body discovered at the beginning of May in an abandoned city building.
• Rita Wolman, 54 — lived in Haifa’s Halisa neighborhood; the court convicted Bonner of four counts of murder connected to the serial killings of four immigrants from the former Soviet Union.

Investigation

Haifa Police Chief Asst.-Cmdr. Nir Meriesh said Bonner confessed to all of the murders shortly after his arrest. Meriesh said Bonner’s motive was psychological and that Bonner told police he murdered homeless people because “they insulted him” and because he was drunk. Meriesh also said Bonner said he would beat his victims and then murder them while intoxicated.

Meriesh described an early investigative decision not to go public with police suspicions that a serial killer was on the loose to prevent creating hysteria.

Arrest and custody

On Sunday, May 30, 2005, Haifa police arrested Nicolai Bonner, a 32-year-old immigrant from Moldova, for the alleged murder of four city residents since the beginning of the year.

Police said Bonner had a criminal record and was an alcoholic. Police said he beat and murdered his victims and then burned their bodies, mostly in abandoned buildings.

Police said they were also investigating the possibility that Bonner was responsible for additional Haifa-area murders in 2004.

Trial

Conviction

On November 7, 2006, the Haifa District Court convicted Nicolai Bonner, 33, of premeditated murders and rape in the serial killings of four immigrants from the former Soviet Union. The court convicted him of four counts of murder and several other offenses.

The court called for further hearings with a psychiatrist present after Bonner’s defense lawyers appealed for a lenient sentence.

Bonner had maintained his innocence, saying he confessed under pressure, that he had been drunk at the time, and that he had made the statement for fear that his family might be hurt if he did not. His statements failed to persuade the judges. The judges noted that, apart from his confession, he led interrogators to the scenes of the murders.

Witness names and social interactions

The conviction involved victims Alexander Levant, 34; Alexander Kars, 39; and Valeri Soznov, 32, who moved to Israel from the former Soviet Union. Bonner used to drink with these men in abandoned buildings by the Haifa market.

The fourth victim was Rita Wolman, 54, who moved to Israel and lived in Haifa’s Halisa neighborhood.

Statements made during proceedings

At the hearing extending Bonner’s remand by an additional 15 days, Bonner said: "I was drunk and I am sorry for what I did."

Bonner told Army Radio that he had confessed to the crimes because he felt threatened during interrogation and out of fear that his daughter would be harmed.

At his arraignment, Bonner said that he "didn't mean to kill her" and just meant to beat her.

Sentencing

On May 6, 2007, the Haifa District Court sentenced Nicolai Bonner to life imprisonment with four consecutive life terms, plus additional years of imprisonment.

He was sentenced:

• to five years' imprisonment for attempted murder,
• to nine years' imprisonment for aggravated rape,
• and to three years for other charges including aggravated assault and interfering with judicial proceedings.

Appeals

Bonner’s defense lawyers appealed for a lenient sentence, and the court called for further hearings with a psychiatrist present.

Outcome

Bonner was sentenced to four consecutive life terms in prison on May 6, 2007.

Aftermath

Bonner was scheduled to be sent for a psychological evaluation after his arrest.

The investigation described a serial killings case and stated that it was the first time Haifa police had investigated a serial killer.