Zoran Marjanovic trial postponed to December 2

The retrial of Zoran Marjanovic for the murder of his wife did not resume on October 7, 2026, at the Higher Court in Belgrade, because the defendant did not come to the courtroom. Only his defense lawyers appeared before the panel, and the next hearing has been set for December 2.

What did the defense tell the court?

Defense lawyer Nikola Dumnic told the panel that the absence had a medical reason. Attorney Veljko Delibasic was also at the court.

“The defendant has a justified medical reason for not appearing. In other words, my client could not come to court for health reasons.”

That is how Dumnic briefly explained his client’s absence, according to Kurir. Nova reports that the defense also submitted medical documentation to the court. Kurir and Nova give December 2 as the new date, while Novosti writes only that the trial was adjourned until December.

What is known about the beating in Karaburma?

Marjanovic was admitted to the Emergency Center on the night between October 2 and 3, after being beaten in an apartment in Karaburma. Kurir, citing people in his circle, reports a brain contusion, injuries to the head and body, and knocked-out teeth, and says he was kept in hospital under medical supervision. Novosti describes a photo he took himself after the examination at the Emergency Center: his head is wrapped in a bandage and there is a large blue swelling above his right eye.

As we reported earlier, Marjanovic later left the hospital and continued treatment at home. According to people close to him, cited by Novosti, he feels unwell both physically and mentally and is unable to sit in a courtroom. A Kurir source claims he has not left the house since the attack.

Two versions of the attack and his statement

The question of what happened in the apartment remains open. Novosti reports that two versions are circulating in public:

• in the first, Marjanovic was lured to the apartment, where an acquaintance demanded that he confess to killing his wife and hand over the money from the sale of the family house in Borca;
• in the second, he came to a party, and his girlfriend went out with a young man to buy something at a kiosk; when they did not return quickly, Marjanovic grew upset, an argument started after they came back, and the young man beat him up.

Marjanovic himself posted on social media that he is recovering and that he considers the attack a personal matter:

“I am recovering after serious bodily injuries, and I hope I will not have lasting consequences. I only want to briefly address the subject of the physical attack on me. The person who attacked me did not mention any money, nor did he mention the case of my murdered wife. At that moment he had no control over himself and his actions, I could not connect the attack with anything, I believe the attack was personal.”

His account contradicts the first version, in which the attacker demands a confession and money. Marjanovic also says he does not know the attacker, while the first version mentions an acquaintance. According to Blic, as relayed by Nova, he refused to cooperate with the police.

Where did the trial over Jelena Marjanovic’s murder stop?

Marjanovic is charged with killing his wife, singer Jelena Marjanovic, on an embankment in Borca on April 2, 2016. He has denied guilt since the start of the proceedings. After his arrest he stated:

“I did not kill my wife, I loved Jelena. Our daughter is my best witness that I did not leave her side that day.”

The first-instance verdict sentenced him to 40 years in prison, the maximum for aggravated murder. The Court of Appeal overturned that verdict and returned the case for retrial. The same court lifted his detention on October 3, 2023, and he has been defending himself while free since then.