A woman was murdered days after her ex told her “either you’ll be mine or you’ll be dead”.
Rosica Koceva and her father were then allegedly stabbed to death by Ilija Stefanovski.
The 39-year-old then went inside the family home and locked himself in a room where he killed himself.
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The alleged double-murder and suicide took place in Veles in North Macedonia on Monday (15 Sep).
Both Rosica, 31, and her 74-year-old father died on the spot.
The case has sparked outrage in North Macedonia after it was revealed that Ilija had received a suspended sentence just days earlier.
In April this year, the Prosecutor’s Office filed an indictment against the suspect for endangering security and violence.
He received the suspended sentence of 16 months on 10 September.
Restrictions were lifted and he was allowed to leave his home and report to the police once a week at the request of the prosecution.
But the restraining order to not approach Rosica remained in placer, as reported by Need To Know.
The victim gave a statement to prosecutors days before she was killed.
She described her last encounter with Ilija when he allegedly warned her: “Either you’ll be mine or you’ll be dead.”
She also said that he had sent her threatening messages in the weeks leading up to the alleged knife attack.
Police records show numerous incidents between Ilija and Rosica between late 2024 and this summer.
There is also a criminal complaint against Ilija for domestic violence from December 2024, while he made several complaints against Rosica.
In May this year, she told prosecutors that he was not respecting the restraining order and was sending her threatening messages.
The police have been examining the phone records since June.
Elena Dimusevska of the National Network to End Violence against Women and Domestic Violence said the suspect should never have received a suspended sentence.
A demonstration took place in the capital Skopje yesterday (18 Sept) over Rosica’s murder.
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