Trajce Bojkovski Gets Life in Prison in Kumanovo
A court in Kumanovo has sentenced 25-year-old Trajce Bojkovski, not yet final, for the murders of four women and two attempted murders between January 2025 and February 2026.
The Basic Court in Kumanovo sentenced Trajce Bojkovski (25), of Stari Nagoricane, to life in prison on October 9, 2026, finding him guilty of the murders of four women and two attempted murders in villages around Kumanovo. The verdict, announced in the neighboring country and reported by regional media, is a first-instance ruling and is not final.
What was Trajce Bojkovski convicted of?
Bojkovski was found guilty of murdering four women, identified by the initials S. K., J. A., M. M. and M. S., between January 2025 and February 2026. The victims were mostly elderly women who lived alone. According to the prosecution, all four were killed by strangulation and chest compression.
He was also convicted of two attempted murders in the village of Celopek. In July 2025, a woman managed to call for help and the attacker fled, while in February 2026, according to the prosecution, he abandoned the attempt himself and left the scene.
When and where did the murders happen?
The chronology reported by media in the region runs as follows:
- night of January 5 to 6, 2025: first murder, in the village of Klecovce
- between June 5 and 7, 2025: second murder, in the village of Dragomance
- July 22, 2025: first attempted murder, in Celopek
- January 2026: third murder, in Stari Nagoricane
- February 9, 2026: second attempted murder, in Celopek
- February 2026: fourth murder, also in Celopek
Bojkovski was arrested on February 13, 2026, after which the investigation was widened to cover the earlier cases. The prosecution argued that his DNA traces were found on two of the murdered women and on one survivor.
What did the prosecutor and the defense ask for?
Prosecutor Ljubomir Lape asked for a life sentence. According to the prosecution, the killings were committed for sexual motives, and in his closing arguments he said that the defendant lacks “feelings of empathy, guilt and fear.” He also assessed that Bojkovski was calculating, that he is trying to manipulate, and that there is no prospect of his rehabilitation, with a high risk that he could reoffend.
Defense lawyer Toni Cvetkovski asked the court to treat the confession, the defendant’s youth and his clean criminal record as mitigating circumstances. According to the Macedonian news agency MIA, as reported by N1, Bojkovski admitted to three murders and both attempts during the trial, while denying responsibility for one murder. The available reports do not make clear which murder that is.
By imposing a life sentence, the Basic Court in Kumanovo concluded the first-instance proceedings in a case covering four murders and two attempted murders. The verdict is not final.
