Man offers plea of manslaughter for wife’s death at trial

A man charged with murdering his estranged wife has made a surprising move on the day his trial was expected to begin.

A man charged with murdering his estranged wife has made a surprising move on the day his trial was expected to begin.

Zoran Pandilovski, 47, faced the Supreme Court of Victoria on Thursday for the first day of an expected three-week trial over the death of his wife, Elaine Pandilovski, 44.

Ms Pandilovski’s body was found concealed in the basement of her Mill Park home on the evening of July 14, 2020 by police during a welfare check.

Concern had been raised earlier that morning after the teacher’s aid failed to attend work.

Her colleague called Ms Pandilovski’s mother, who visited the home but found no trace of her.

Elaine and Zoran Pandilovski. Picture: Supplied

Police allege the pair, married since 2002, had separated two years earlier, with Mr Pandilovski moving out of the family home they shared with their son, Thomas, in 2018.

Its alleged he attended the home around 7.45am on July 14 when his wife was home alone, choking her to death.

Prosecutors will argue he moved her body to a storage room in the basement in an effort to conceal his alleged crime.

He was injured later the same day in a high-speed car crash along Melbourne’s Western Ring Rd.

Mr Pandilovski was placed under arrest in hospital after his wife’s body was discovered the following day.

In court, Mr Pandilovski said he would plead guilty to a lesser charge of manslaughter, not murder.

When asked how he would plead, he responded “not guilty to murder, but guilty to manslaughter”.

Crown prosecutor Neil Hutton told the court the prosecution did not accept this offer and would maintain he is guilty of the more serious charge.

The trial, presided over by Justice Christopher Beale, continues.

Elaine Pandilovski had been a teacher’s aid before her death. Picture: Supplied

Originally published as Man offers plea of manslaughter for wife’s death at trial