Yonatan Heilo, who killed his rapist, released from prison
Heilo, who has been in prison for eight years for killing his rapist Yaron Atalin in 2010, freed after prosecution withdraws its objection; 'There were moments when I lost all hope, and I dreamed of starting a new life and celebrating both my 30th birthday and my freedom,' Heilo says.
A few hours after a parole board decided on Monday to release Yonatan Heilo, who was convicted in 2013 of the murder of his rapist Yaron Atalin, he was let out of prison.
"This is a dream come true," Heilo said Monday upon his release. "There were times when I believed this day would come, but mostly, there were moments when I lost all hope, I dreamed of starting a new life and celebrating both my 30th birthday and my freedom."
Heilo's lawyer, Alon Eisenberg, welcomed the decision. "It's scary to think that if the State Attorney's Office had won, Yonatan would have served a life sentence. Tonight, Yonathan is celebrating his 30th birthday, and I think there is no greater gift than his freedom," he said.
The State Attorney's Office did not object to his release, and therefore he was immediately freed.
Heilo was sentenced in 2013 to 20 years in prison after being convicted of the murder of Yaron Atalin in 2010.
During the trial, the judges determined Heilo had diminished responsibility for the murder after learning that Atalin raped Heilo twice.
In 2016, the Supreme Court downgraded Heilo's conviction to a reduced offense of manslaughter, and shortened the sentence to 12 years in prison.
In the 2016 sentence, the Supreme Court accepted the claim that Heilo feared the deceased and was paralyzed and scared for his life as a result of being a long-term victim of Atalin's actions. The judges also determined that the prisoner was suffering from mental distress due to severe and ongoing abuse.
Over the years, there have been many calls to grant Heilo early release, and an activist group took on the cause as well. In 2016, 65 MKs signed a pardon for Heilo, initated by MK Yoel Hasson from the Zionist Union.
Last November, President Reuven Rivlin decided to commute Heilo's punishment and convert part of his sentence into a suspended sentence, so that he could stand before the parole board.
During the parole board hearing, however, a professional opinion was presented to the court according to which Heilo did not take part in a prisoner rehabilitation program.
The prosecution, which objected his release at the time, said that as long as Heilo takes part in a meaningful program, they would reconsider their position.
Over the past seven months, Heilo had participated in a rehabilitation program, undergoing treatment to reduce the level of risk he poses the public, thus paving the way for his release.
This time, State Attorney Shai Nitzan approved the decision not to oppose the release.
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