"I didn't kill Jelena. I know who's setting me up" says Dragoje, alleged killer from Swiss letter

The trial of Zoran Marjanovic, charged with the murder of his wife Jelena Marjanovic, has been followed with great attention by Serbia's public. However, there was chaos in the courtroom yesterday when the judge presented an anonymous letter to the defendant, the lawyers and the deputy public prosecutor. The letter came from Switzerland and the judge asked the prosecution to decide whether to act on it.

The whole courtroom got excited, but in the end it was revealed that the letter makes a claim about the identity of the alleged killer of Jelena Marjanovic, and of the person who commissioned the crime. The name of the alleged killer was stated as Dragoje Milinkovic, while Zoran's mother, Zorica, allegedly ordered the brutal murder of her daughter-in-law to be carried out by this Switzerland-based man.

Recommended

Milinkovic, who is cited in the letter as a cruel criminal, explained for Telegraf.rs what this was really about, and strongly denied the allegations.

Dragoje Milinkovic; Photo: Private archive

"I didn't kill Jelena, nor did I know her or that whole family. I never set foot in Borca until 2018. I know that this letter was sent by my ex-wife, who wants to turn my life into hell. We divorced, but she has been setting me up for years. This letter sullies my name, even when I prove in court that the letter is a lie, I will remain labeled as a murderer for the rest of my life," Dragoje begins his story for Telegraf.rs.

According to this man from Priboj, a town in southwestern Serbia, who has lived and worked in Switzerland for 27 years, he is already involved in a lawsuit with his former wife over the division of property, another concerning her attempt to abduct him, and over a case of alleged violence in the courtroom, for which she has accused him.

Zoran Marjanovic arrives at the court accompanied by his lawyers; Photo: Nikola Tomic

"We were married from 1999 until 2012. A year after the wedding our daughter was born, but my marriage to her was hell. I sued her in Krusevac for abduction and attempted murder. Three men abducted me in 2015 and tortured me, I was hit in the head with a gun, I was in the hospital after that. She sued me for choking her with a scarf in the courtroom, which is complete nonsense, I have witnesses for that. On Thursday, November 7, there should be a hearing about the division of property - and here's what she tried to do to me," Milinkovic explains.

He added that his ex-wife has also accused him, using various Facebook profiles, of killing a lawyer from Paracin.

He also noted that parts of the letter that arrived at the Palace of Justice were true, such as that he had problems with the law in Switzerland - but this had to do with tax evasion, not serious crimes.

Jelena Marjanovic, whose murder remains unsolved three years later; Printscreen: YouTube

"I admit that I had a problem in Switzerland because of tax evasion, I don't hide it and I faced the consequences. I had a company employing 150 workers, of course there were problems with them as well, for which logically I, as the responsible person, had to answer - but I claim: I never killed anyone," the man who was called a murderer yesterday said for our portal.

The letter further stated that he moved to Belgrade at the end of 2015, which coincides with the time of Jelena Marjanovic's murder. However, Dragoje says that he lived in the Serbian capital in 2016, for a short time, and after the murder of the folk singer had taken place.

The place where Jelena's body was found; Photo: Telegraf

As Milinkovic announced, he has decided that the letter scandal, where he is directly referred to as a murderer, should be resolved in court. He is certain that he will emerge from this story as the winner and an honorable man, for one reason alone - he is not a killer.

The first trial date of Zoran Marjanovic, accused of killing his ex-wife Jelena, lasted five hours yesterday at the Palace of Justice. He provided new details, and Telegraf was reporting about this long-awaited event. Zoran will be on the defendant's bench again on December 25, 2019.

(S. Cenad)