Three Men Arrested in Murder of Israeli Businessman in Los Angeles

Three individuals, accused of murdering an Israeli businessman in his Los Angeles residence late last month, are reportedly illegal immigrants from Georgia.

The suspects are alleged to have broken into the home of Alexander Maud Baze, a 47-year-old, where he was held for several hours before being killed, according to police reports.

Authorities have apprehended Pata Kochiashvili, Zaza Otarashvili, and Beshki Khutsishvili, charging them with murder. All three are currently being held as federal immigration detainees, as per sources.

They are each being held on bail set at $2 million.

Sources indicate that Otarashvili and Khutsishvili entered the U.S. after crossing the southern border illegally during the Biden administration.

Otarashvili had crossed into Yuma, Arizona, on July 3, 2022, where border agents detained him but later released him, advising him to report to the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) office in New York.

Three weeks later, he complied, but was told to return the following year.

He had applied for asylum in October 2022, but his immigration court hearing was canceled for unspecified reasons.

Khutsishvili entered the U.S. illegally in San Luis, Arizona, on March 18, 2022, and was released days later with a $3,000 immigration debt. He then mentioned plans to relocate to New York, eventually applying for asylum. Two years on, he expressed intentions to move to Van Nuys, California.

Their next immigration hearing is set for 2028.

Meanwhile, Kochiashvili entered the U.S. as a tourist on October 8, 2017, and was told to leave by April 2018. However, he did not file for asylum that year.

By September 2020, he had been arrested in West Hollywood for robbery, but the case was dropped due to a lack of evidence.

The federal government sought to detain him the day after his arrest, but local authorities reportedly released him.

He was arrested again in August 2022 for marijuana cultivation in Palmdale, California, with that case still pending. Again, federal authorities attempted to detain him the next day, but were ignored.

Shortly after the murder of Maud Baze, police discovered another Israeli businessman, Meni Hydra, also murdered. Hydra is reportedly connected to the same community as the victims but the two killings appear to be unrelated.

Authorities are currently on the lookout for a 30-40-year-old Hispanic male believed to be involved in Hydra’s murder.