Ivanjica: Petar M., 34, Held in Friend's Murder

The Higher Court in Cacak today, September 21, ordered up to 30 days of pretrial detention for Petar M., 34, of Arilje, suspected of killing his friend Mile P. in the village of Opaljenik near Ivanjica on the night of September 14 to 15. During questioning at the Higher Public Prosecutor’s Office in Cacak, the suspect used his legal right not to speak in his own defense, meaning he chose to stay silent.

The court ordered the detention at the prosecution’s request, citing a risk of flight, the possibility that he could influence witnesses, and public unrest over the case. Petar M. is charged with two criminal offenses: aggravated murder and illegal production, possession, carrying and trafficking of weapons and explosive materials. Under Serbian law, aggravated murder carries a maximum sentence of life in prison.

Sources differ on the victim’s age. Tanjug and Republika report that Mile P. was 40, while earlier media coverage had described him as 41.

According to the allegations laid out so far, Petar M. and Mile P. spent that evening together at a local bar. Mile went home around midnight, and Petar is suspected of following him, not to his own house in Arilje but to Mile’s house in Opaljenik. Investigators believe he entered while his friend was asleep and fired two shots into his head from a pistol that, according to the prosecution, he possessed illegally. He is then suspected of going to his sister’s house, spending the night there, having breakfast in the morning and leaving for Arilje.

Residents of Opaljenik discuss a possible motive cautiously, describing it as talk going around the village rather than an established fact. One resident told Republika:

People say Petar held it against his friend that he had asked to borrow 200,000 dinars from him, but he refused to lend it.

The same resident added that Mile had recently buried his father and that the family was known locally to have some savings. Kurir, however, reports that nothing was taken from the house after the crime. Residents told the outlet: “What confuses us is that no money was taken from Mile’s house after the crime.”

The village has taken the killing hard. Residents describe Mile P. as a diligent farmer who grew raspberries and other crops, and who had hosted Petar M. as a guest in his home for years. Petar M., originally from Montenegro, moved to Arilje about a decade ago. Roughly a year ago, his family was struck by tragedy when two of his younger brothers drowned.

The investigation into the killing in Opaljenik is ongoing, and Petar M. will remain in detention for the next 30 days.