Israeli Arab sentenced to 102 years for 2003 killing of American girl, Czech tourist, Israeli

Published November 17, 2014

JERUSALEM (AP) — An Israeli court on Wednesday sentenced an Israeli Arab to 102 years in prison for the murders of a teenage American girl, a Czech tourist and an Israeli man in 2003.

Court spokeswoman Ayelet Filo said Yehiya Farhan was sentenced to three consecutive life sentences, or 102 years.

One of his victims, Dana Bennett, was born in Chicago to Israeli immigrants. She later moved to Israel and had just started working in a restaurant in northern Israel when she vanished. She was 18 then.

Her disappearance came during intense Israeli-Palestinian fighting, when militant attacks on civilians were common. Her body was found last year.

Farhan's female accomplice helped police with their investigation and was sentenced to a shorter prison term in a plea bargain. A gag order prevents her from being identified.

Israeli TV stations showed Farhan sitting calmly in the courtroom Wednesday, a smirk on his face.

"For six years I was stuck between despair and hope because of the uncertainties. We didn't even know who the killer was," Bennett's mother, Vikki, said Wednesday outside the court in the northern city of Nazareth. "Thank God now at least the truth came out and justice was served."

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