The tragic story of Violet Yacobi shocked Beverly Hills and left an entire family torn apart. What started as a quiet October evening in 2017 ended in heartbreak, a murder charge, and a years-long legal battle that finally reached its conclusion.
Violet Yacobi, 67, was a devoted mother, grandmother, and widow who had immigrated to the U.S. in the 1980s after living in the Soviet Union and Israel. Friends say she was warm and family-oriented, rarely going a day without calling her two grown children, Dina and Daniel, or her brothers and mother who lived nearby.
On October 10, 2017, her brother called to offer her a ride to the mechanic. When Violet didn’t answer, the family became alarmed. That evening, her children met at Violet’s $8 million Beverly Hills home to check on her — and made a horrifying discovery.
Violet was found dead on the marble floor near the base of the grand staircase. At first, police suspected an accident or even suicide. But weeks later, an autopsy revealed something far more sinister: Violet had died from asphyxiation.
Four months later, on February 12, 2018, Violet’s son, 43-year-old dentist Daniel Yacobi, was arrested and charged with her murder. Prosecutors argued that greed drove him to kill, alleging that Daniel stood to inherit half of Violet’s $12 million estate.
“He choked the life out of her,” Los Angeles County Deputy District Attorney Shane Michael told jurors at Daniel’s trial, which began on July 21, 2025, after years of delays. “He left her there in her home — the home where he grew up.”
On the surface, the Yacobis appeared to have it all: a wealthy lifestyle in a posh Beverly Hills neighborhood, a close-knit family, and successful careers. But behind closed doors, tensions had been brewing.
Friends and acquaintances testified that Daniel felt trapped in dentistry, a career he claimed his parents had pushed him into. He had struggled financially, with his dental practice stalling by 2015.
Dean Summers, whose brother lived next door to Daniel, recalled a chilling confession Daniel made before Violet’s death: “He said he hated his mother and he hated his father.”
Family friend Joseph Mamalinger also testified that just weeks before Violet’s death, Daniel asked him, “Hey, what do you know about inheritance tax?” When Mamalinger questioned why, since his mother was healthy, Daniel reportedly flushed and abruptly ended the conversation.
Adding to the evidence, investigators discovered that Daniel had allegedly searched online, “does the choke hold create a bruise?”
Prosecutors used geo-location data to track Daniel’s white Jaguar to the alley behind Violet’s home around 4 p.m. on October 9, 2017. Surveillance footage confirmed his car’s presence. They argued that within the next four hours, Daniel entered the house and strangled his mother.
Daniel’s defense team, however, claimed that Violet’s death was accidental, citing a forensic pathologist who testified she may have fallen from a second-story balcony.
After an emotional trial, jurors deliberated for just one day before finding Daniel guilty of first-degree murder, with the special allegation that the killing was committed for financial gain.
Daniel now faces life in prison without the possibility of parole. Sentencing is scheduled for October 3, nearly eight years after Violet’s tragic death.
“It’s tragic in every way,” said one of Daniel’s friends. “His daughter lost a father. The family is shattered. There’s no positive outcome here.”
He should lose his life