Suspect in Lakewood Ranch murder case held in Israel

Thomas Gross has been denied bond as Israeli authorities move forward with the process of having him extradited back to the United States so he can face a murder charge in Manatee County for his mother’s death.

Ina Gross, 78, was found dead Jan. 9, 2012, inside the garage of her Lakewood Ranch home in the 11000 block of Hyacinth Place in Riverwalk Hammock community. Her son, who had been visiting at the time from Israel, had been the one to call 911.

The death was ruled a homicide, and Thomas Gross was a person of interest but returned home on his scheduled flight, hired an attorney and invoked his right not to speak further with investigators.

The Manatee County Sheriff’s Office worked with the State Attorney’s Office to build the case against Thomas Gross, and in July 2014 obtained a warrant charging him with the murder.

On Sunday, Thomas Gross, 63, was arrested by Israeli police at his home in the coastal city of Herzliya. The news was a welcomed relief to his sister, Ellen Gerth, who has long been awaiting justice for their mother.

Gerth received the unexpected call at 4 p.m. local time from Israeli authorities on Sunday, she said Wednesday.

“I was speechless,” Gerth said. “I was not able to respond right away because I was overwhelmed, relieved in an interesting sort of way. It was really sad for my brother for the person he has become but clearly justice is moving forward.”

Thomas Gross appeared before a Jerusalem District Court judge on Monday and was ordered held without bond, according to his sister and the Times of Israel. The judge remanded him into custody for eight days as the extradition process moves forward.

“The journey is not over. The journey will never be over for me,” Gerth said Wednesday. “I will never understand how my brother could have taken my beautiful mother’s life.”

Gerth has not spoken to her brother directly in years

“I will never be able to forgive him,” Gerth said. “I hope that at some point in his life he can address his own demons, and I don’t think that is going to change anything but at some point he needs to face reality.”

Money has always been believed to be the motive for the murder, Gerth has said.

According to court documents, Thomas Gross had already received $668,000 from his mother at the time of her death.

The sheriff’s office has not released details of how Ina Gross was killed, but Israeli authorities have released some details based on the U.S. petition for extradition signed back in February, according to the Jerusalem Post.

Thomas Gross is alleged to have drugged his mother, put her inside her car inside the garage of her home and then ultimately stabbed her to death, according to the Israeli reports. When he called 911 on that day, however, he reported having found her dead along with the alleged murder weapon, claiming it was a suicide or robbery gone wrong.

This story was originally published December 13, 2017 at 7:10 PM with the headline "Suspect in Lakewood Ranch murder case held in Israel."