Teacher Biber: Driver Milos P. No Longer in Custody

The Basic Court in Kragujevac has ended the custody of defendant Milos P., who is on trial over the death of retired teacher Miroslav “Mija” Biberdzic of Desimirovac, near Kragujevac. In place of custody, he has been placed under a ban on leaving his home, which remains in force. A new main hearing is scheduled for October 27, 2026.

The decision became public a year after the accident in which Biberdzic died. The defendant is charged with a serious offense against traffic safety resulting in death, and with failing to help a person injured in a traffic accident.

What did the court decide?

Marko Petrovic, spokesman for the Basic Court in Kragujevac, confirmed that the proceedings are ongoing and that the hearing is set for the end of October:

“A criminal case is under way against the defendant Milos P. from Kragujevac, for the offense of a serious offense against traffic safety resulting in the death of Miroslav Biberdzic and the offense of failing to help a person injured in a traffic accident, and the main hearing is scheduled for October 27.”

Petrovic added that the defendant had been in custody until now, and that it was lifted by a ruling of the Basic Court in Kragujevac. He described the home confinement this way: “The defendant was then placed under a ban on leaving his home, which is still in effect.”

In these statements, the court did not give the date of the decision to lift custody or its reasons.

What happened in Desimirovac?

The accident happened on September 24, 2025, at around 7 p.m., on the main road in Desimirovac, not far from the “Radoje Domanovic” Elementary School, where Biberdzic, known as “Teacher Biber,” worked for almost his entire career. The driver of a Volkswagen Passat hit him and drove on without stopping.

Children from the schoolyard were the first to reach the injured man, and they called an ambulance. Biberdzic regained consciousness on the ninth day but died on October 10, 2025, at the University Clinical Center in Kragujevac, after 17 days in the hospital. He was buried on October 15.

Police found the driver after Biberdzic’s death. Kragujevac Police Department announced at the time that, on the order of the Basic Public Prosecutor’s Office, M. P. (26) from the Kragujevac area had been arrested on suspicion of committing criminal offenses, and that he was held for up to 48 hours. The statement described the event as follows:

“He is suspected of hitting a 69-year-old pedestrian on September 24, at around 19:00 in Desimirovac, while driving a ‘Passat,’ after which he fled. The injured pedestrian died as a result of the traffic accident on October 10 at the University Clinical Center in Kragujevac.”

Sources differ on the victim’s age. The October 2025 police statement gives 69, while more recent reports on the lifting of custody say 71.

What is known about the vehicle’s speed?

Only a relative has spoken about speed. Biberdzic’s niece told reporters earlier that she heard braking and a powerful impact, and that when she ran out into the street she found her uncle unconscious. She did not see the impact itself, so her speed figure is an estimate, not a measurement:

“My uncle was standing on the shoulder when the driver hit him at full speed, he was surely driving faster than 200 an hour near a school where the limit is 30 kilometers an hour! The impact was so strong that it threw Mija to the other side of the street.”

The available sources contain no indication that the speed was established by expert analysis, so 200 kilometers an hour remains only her estimate.

What did the family say after the teacher’s death?

His granddaughter was the first to confirm the teacher’s death publicly, in a letter sent to the media. She described how the children ran over first and said her grandfather spent 17 days in a coma:

“My grandfather was seriously injured on September 24 when he was hit by a car traveling at high speed. The driver fled, leaving him lying on the road. The children who were playing in the schoolyard were the first to run to him, call for help, and soon an ambulance arrived. Miroslav was in a coma and fought for his life for 17 days, but, unfortunately, he died on October 10.”

The granddaughter also pointed to road safety at that spot: the school and playground are right nearby, and, in her words, there is no speed bump or adequate traffic signage.

His colleague Milica Lukic, who had known him since 1996 and described him as a legend of the Desimirovac school, said after his death:

“Miroslav was, above all, a great man. His colleagues loved him, and the children adored him! I will remember him as my favorite colleague and a man from whom I received a lot of wise and useful advice, not only about the work we did, but about life too.”

Until the October 27 hearing, the defendant is under a ban on leaving his home. No verdict has been reached, so the presumption of innocence applies to Milos P.