Florida doctor, 47, avoids jail and is handed just probation and house arrest for strangling his girlfriend and murdering his father

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A former Florida doctor has been released from jail on probation after agreeing to a plea deal for killing his father and strangling his girlfriend in 2018.       

Rafael Azulay, 47, was charged with second-degree murder three years ago for the shooting of his father, 67-year-old Asher Azulay. 

Police said he killed his father in May 2018 after asking his parents to find the charger for his ankle monitor and to bring it to his Weston home, where he was under house arrest for two battery charges in a March 2018 incident involving his ex-fiancée. 

After fatally shooting his father, Azulay then shot himself in the stomach before being taken to hospital in critical condition.

Prior to the homicide, Azulay had also been previously charged with aggravated assault for allegedly threatening his mother.

However, under the plea deal, Azulay's murder charge was lowered to a charge of manslaughter with a firearm. The assault charge was dropped. 

Former Weston doctor Rafael Azulay, 47, signed a plea bargain sentencing him to twelve years of probation, of which two are under community control, also commonly known as supervised house arrest. Azulay fatally shot his father in 2018 and was physically abusive towards his ex-fiancée for five years

Dina Azulay (left) told investigators her son asked her and her husband , Asher Azulay (right) to find the charger for his ankle monitor and to bring it to his home. Once they had arrived, Rafael Azulay told his parents that he was going to kill them both before committing suicide. He shot his father before critically wounding himself in the abdomen by gunfire 

Azulay was previously arrested on domestic violence charges, felony domestic violence battery-strangulation and misdemeanor battery after attacking and strangling his ex- fiancée (pictured)

The doctor's ex-fiancée, who remains anonymous but goes by 'Angela', claims she suffered from domestic violence for five years, between 2013 and 2018

Azulay signed a plea bargain that will see him on probation until February 2034, according to the Florida Department of Corrections. For the next two years, he will be on supervised house arrest while wearing a GPS monitor, before serving another ten years on probation for the manslaughter charge.

He has already received credit for time served on the battery charges and for serving a year of his community control sentence. 

Before his plea deal, the Broward State Attorney's Office said that Azulay had been in jail for nearly four years, and that he had been hospitalized on numerous occasions. 

His 67-year-old mother, Dina, insists her husband's death was accidental and denies that her son had ever threatened her. She also blamed her son's drug usage and history with domestic violence for his actions.

If there we a trial on the case, then prosecutors likely would have had to declare her a hostile witness, according to a memo from the local attorney's office.  

Azulay's lawyer, Hilliard Moldof, told NBC Miami that the former doctor had a traumatic brain injury from miraculously surviving a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head. Azulay will now live with his mother at a home in Cooper City, purchased by his sister, Rita, in December 2021.

Speaking after the plea bargain, Moldof said Azulay was incompetent to stand trial. 

'He could understand the ramifications of taking a plea, but in a trial he couldn't,' Moldof said. 'The experts said he couldn't testify relevantly or assist a lawyer in his defense.' 

Azulay (left) will now be living at home with his mother (center) for the next two years under community control probation, while wearing a GPS monitor

As part of the plea deal, Azulay's murder charge was lowered to a charge of manslaughter with a firearm, while his assault charge was also dropped

Azulay's ex-fiancée, who wants to remain anonymous and to only be referred to as 'Angela,' feels unsafe after Azulay's release from jail and fears her life may be at risk.

Angela shared pictures of her physical condition in the aftermath of domestic violence cases involved with Azulay, ranging from 2013 to 2018 with several local news outlets.

'How has life been for me leading up to this? It's been awful,' Angela said. 'I'm worried about my safety, my family's safety,' 

'...I think he is going to find me, and he is going to kill me, and then he is going to kill himself.' 

Azulay's ex-fiancée told local news outlets that she fears for her life after learning of her former lover's release from jail

The anonymous woman shared pictures of her physical condition in the aftermath of domestic violence cases involved with Azulay

Azulay, who has an expired medical license, will not be allowed to practice or to be in contact with his ex-fiancée during his probation, which runs until 2034

On the other hand, Moldof played down Azulay's ex-fiancée's, saying that she does not believe his client is a threat to anyone.

'He's not a danger at all. I mean, back then whatever was going on I didn't represent him. But he's on a very strict plan,' Moldof said. '... [Angela] said in open court she wants him out, she wishes him well.' 

Angela denies asking for Azula's release, and conveyed her safety concerns to prosecutors when they told her about the possibility of a plea deal in December.

'No! I did not push for his release,' Angela said. '... I had to push for a 12-year no contact order.'

Prosecutors initially told Angela that a two-year no contact order was recommended. She is now planning to change her name and move out of state. 

As part of the plea deal, Azulay must cede his medical license, issued to him in 2003. The Florida Department of Health said it has already been 'null and void,' stating that it expired after not being renewed. 

The state took no action to remove his license.