Karaburma Murder: Suspects Stay Silent, Detention Sought

Three suspects in the Karaburma murder were questioned at the Belgrade Higher Public Prosecutor’s Office. All three exercised their legal right to remain silent and offered no defense. Immediately after the questioning, the prosecution asked the pretrial judge at the Belgrade Higher Court to order their detention.

The order to conduct an investigation charges them with aggravated murder. The suspects are M. Dj. (40) from Novi Sad, M. S. (32) from Subotica and M. K. (30) from Kanjiza. The victim was R. G. (73), the owner of a produce stall in Karaburma.

What Are the Suspects Accused Of?

According to the prosecution, the crime was committed on the evening of August 2. The suspects allegedly drove to Belgrade in a Fiat Punto and parked near the victim’s stall and apartment.

M. K. stayed in the car outside the building. Her job was to watch the approach to the building and warn the others if anyone appeared.

M. Dj. entered the apartment by prior arrangement with the victim. According to the prosecution, she began an intimate encounter with him, got him to undress, then tied his hands and feet with shoelaces with his consent. Only then did M. S. enter the apartment.

The two suspects then forced the victim to the ground, stuffed cloth into his mouth and tied a shoelace over it. He died as a result. Afterward, they allegedly searched the apartment and took cash from a safe.

The order describes the amount taken with caution:

approximately 11,000, partly in dinar denominations and partly in euros

Some media outlets reported the figure as 11,000 euros. The description of the offense does not specify a currency for the total amount, so the full value of the money taken cannot yet be confirmed as being in euros.

Why Is Detention Being Sought on Every Ground?

The prosecution proposed detention on every legal ground. It cited the risk of flight, the risk that the suspects could influence witnesses, and the risk that they could repeat the offense in a short period of time.

Aggravated murder also carries a prison sentence of more than 10 years. The prosecution added that the manner in which the crime was carried out and the severity of its consequences caused public unrest that could jeopardize the smooth conduct of criminal proceedings. The pretrial judge at the Belgrade Higher Court will rule on the request.

What Police Said Before the Questioning

Serbia’s Interior Ministry (MUP) said officers from the Belgrade City Police Administration and the Criminal Police Directorate’s Department for Suppression of Violent and Sexual Crime, Traffic Offenses and Human Trafficking, working with police from Kikinda and Subotica, arrested the three suspects. The arrests were carried out on the order of the Belgrade Higher Public Prosecutor’s Office, which stated there were grounds to suspect the three had jointly committed the criminal offense of aggravated murder.

The police statement did not specify the amount taken from the safe. That figure was only established days later, in the prosecution’s order.

Police also said two of the suspects were found in a Volkswagen at the time of their arrest, a vehicle they suspect was purchased with the stolen money. Part of the money was found in that vehicle, and part during a search of the apartment and other premises at the address where the third suspect had hidden it. The vehicle mentioned in the arrest report is therefore not the one the suspects used to drive to Karaburma.

When we first reported on this case, little was known: an empty safe, bound hands and a search for the woman who had entered the building. The 73 year old was found dead in the morning hours, in his own apartment. The investigation is being conducted by the Belgrade Higher Public Prosecutor’s Office.