The Jerusalem District Court sentenced on Thursday one of the minors convicted of murdering Mohammed Abu Khdeir to life in prison, and a second minor to 21 years in prison. 

In November 2015, the two teens were convicted of murdering Abu Khdeir, the 16-year-old Arab youth from the Shuafat neighborhood of Jerusalem, in July of 2014.

Yosef Haim Ben-David, 31, is said to have led the attack on Abu Khdeir but his lawyers say he suffers from a mental illness and was not responsible for his actions at the time.

The court has found that he committed the crime but has yet to rule if he is mentally competent.

It was claimed that the three individuals committed a revenge killing in response to the kidnapping and murder by three teens from Gush Etzion, whose bodies were found a day prior, at the hands of Palestinian terrorists.

According to the letter of indictment, the three individuals forced Abu Khdeir into a car and  proceeded to hit him until he lost consciousness. They then proceeded to take him to the Jerusalem forest where they beat him in the head and burned him alive while he was unconscious. 

Ben David and the two youths pleaded guilty soon after being apprehended. In spite of their guilty plea a full trial was conducted. 

Life sentences were the maximum punishment available to the court.