New Belgrade Murder: Son Silent, Detention Sought
The Higher Prosecution in Belgrade has ordered an investigation into a New Belgrade murder. The 57 year old son stayed silent under questioning, and prosecutors are seeking his detention.
The Higher Public Prosecution in Belgrade has issued an order to launch an investigation against Z. C. (57) on a charge of aggravated murder. He is accused of killing his mother, M. C. (82), on August 6 in an apartment on Zoran Djindjic Boulevard in New Belgrade. The prosecution’s statement was released on August 8, two days after the on-site investigation.
The suspect was questioned by the prosecutor and said nothing.
The suspect defended himself before the prosecutor by remaining silent, exercising his legal right not to present a defense.
Staying silent during questioning is neither an admission of guilt nor an aggravating circumstance. It is a right guaranteed to suspects under the Criminal Procedure Code, and the prosecution’s statement explicitly says so.
What prosecutors say happened
According to the prosecution, it began with a verbal argument on the apartment’s terrace, around 2:30 p.m. The suspect then struck his mother multiple times with his hands and feet, hitting her head and body.
Prosecutors say he kept hitting her even as she called for help. She died shortly afterward from her injuries.
This is the first official account of the attack itself. Before the statement, what was known about how the assault unfolded came only from media reports and neighbors’ accounts.
Why are prosecutors seeking detention?
After the questioning, prosecutors asked the preliminary proceedings judge at the Higher Court in Belgrade to order the suspect’s detention. Three reasons were cited:
- risk of influencing witnesses
- risk of reoffending
- public unrest that could jeopardize a smooth and fair conduct of the proceedings
The severity of the prescribed sentence was also cited. Aggravated murder carries a prison term of more than 10 years. The decision on detention rests with the court, not the prosecution, and is expected in the coming days.
A timeline now taking shape
The body was found in the apartment on August 6, shortly after the attack. The suspect was arrested following the on-site investigation led by the duty prosecutor, and police, according to unofficial information, stopped him from jumping off the seventh floor terrace. We reported on the arrest and the 48 hour detention the same day.
The 48 hour deadline expired with the questioning. That questioning moved the case from a pre criminal proceeding into a formal investigation, which is why it is only now known how prosecutors are legally classifying the offense.
The next step is the preliminary proceedings judge’s ruling on detention. After that comes the evidence gathering phase of the investigation, including the autopsy findings, and only then a possible indictment.
Who the victim was
The woman who was killed was a retired physician, an ophthalmologist. The day after the crime, the Belgrade City Organization of the Blind issued a statement saying she had also treated visually impaired patients.
The suspect’s guilt has not been established. Until a final verdict, he is presumed innocent, and all claims about how the attack unfolded are, at this point, allegations from the prosecution’s order to launch an investigation.
