Henriette, 17, was found dead in her parents home with stab wounds to the neck in the Central town of Ramle, Israil on June 13. According to Jerusalem Post, the father, Sami Karra, believed Henriette’s actions “damaged the honor of the family and made him feel ashamed.”

The local news source reported that the killing sparked a wave of outrage from Israeli-Arab Members of Knesset and community leaders accusing the police of not properly protecting the teenager despite her complaints against her family.

The victim left home two weeks before her murder after her family used violence against her to try to end her year-long relationship with a Muslim man. After the abuse she feared for her life and hid from her family in a number of places.

On June 11, the police summoned Henriette and her parents for a joint meeting after which she returned home on her parents request. On June 13, the day of her death, she deposited 400 Shekels (113 dollars) in her Muslim boyfriend’s prison canteen account – who was jailed at the time on charges unrelated to the indictment.

When she came home she told her relative that her boyfriend would be released from prison at the end of the week and that she was planning on converting to Islam. The relative informed her father of her plans, after which her father killed her with a knife, according to the indictment.

Sami Karra, 58, denies his daughter’s murder and refused to answer any questions from the police. There is no direct evidence that he committed this murder and no forensic evidence, says the lawyers who are representing the defendant.

According to her friends, Henriette was someone who loved life. She had a good character and had lots of friends. She wanted to do a lot of things in life.

Honor Killing is a worldwide phenomena. According to United Nations facts and figures, each year an estimated 5,000 honor killings occur in different countries of the world. Most of them in Islamic countires of South Asia, North Africa and the Middle East.

According to USA Today, the Department of Justice estimated in its 2014 report that 23 to 27 honor killings occurred in the country each year.