Borce Ristevski charged with wife Karen Ristevski’s murder

BORCE Ristevski has appeared in court charged with one count of murder over the death of his wife, Karen. Ms Ristevski’s brother said the arrest had brought the family a step closer to finding some “closure”.

THE family of murdered Melbourne woman Karen Ristevski has ­welcomed the arrest of her husband, and say they are now another step closer to getting justice for the “beautiful” mum.

Borce Ristevski, 53, appeared at Melbourne Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday morning charged with murdering his wife at Avondale Heights on June 29 last year. Mr Ristevski appeared in the dock for just four minutes. His lawyer indicated his ­client would plead not guilty.

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Rob Stary outside court on Wednesday. Picture: David Crosling

Detectives leave the Magistrates’ Court following Borce Ristevski’s appearance. Picture: AAP

Mr Ristevski appeared in court just after 10am. He was arrested about 7.20am in Keilor by detectives from the Missing Persons Squad.

Dressed in a white T-shirt and heavily bearded, Mr Ristevski ­answered “yes” only when asked in court if he had been given a chance to speak to his lawyer.

Mr Ristevski was remanded in custody and made no application for bail. Prosecutors were granted extra time to prepare their case due to the complex nature of the investigation.

Mr Ristevski will next face court in April.

A prison van leaves the Magistrates’ Court. Picture: David Crosling

Mrs Ristevski’s cousin, Lisa Gray, spoke to the Herald Sun on Wednesday and expressed the family’s gratitude to Victoria Police for all their hard work in bringing the case to court.

Borce Ristevski was on Wednesday charged with the murder of his wife, and remanded in custody.

Ms Gray said the family ­always had faith the police would get to the bottom of Karen’s death.

“No person, particularly Karen, deserved to die in such a way,” Ms Gray said.

“We would like nothing better than justice for her, and we have full trust in the police and the justice system.

“We are thankful for the ­efforts, dedication, focus and for the work that Victoria Police, especially the Missing Persons Squad, have done.

“We have never lost faith that they will get justice for our beautiful Karen,” she said.

“This is another step towards Karen being remembered with dignity and love.”

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Mrs Ristevski’s aunt, Patricia Gray, gathered with friends on Wednesday night to raise a glass in memory of her “beautiful, loyal” Karen.

“To Karen — forever in our hearts,” Ms Gray said.

She said the arrest had been a “relief” but the family was aware it was still “early days” in the court process.

“It’s quite a sad situation, we’re talking about a human tragedy,” Ms Gray said.

“The consequences that follow on ripple through the whole family.”

Borce Ristevski had been staying some nights with family and friends, but returned home to Avondale Heights some nights. He was arrested at a relative’s house in Keilor about 7.20am on Wednesday.

Karen’s brother, Stephen Williams, said the arrest had brought the family a step closer to finding some “closure”.

“Today has been a surprisingly emotional day,” Mr ­Williams said.

“It’s in no way a celebration, it’s another stage in bringing my beautiful sister Karen the justice she so deserves.”

Friends were supporting Mrs Ristevski’s daughter, Sarah, who family members said would be experiencing extreme distress as she grappled with the arrest of her father.

The 22-year-old had been by her father’s side to call for the public’s help to find her mum soon after she disappeared, but shied away from the media as the missing person inquiry began to point to something more sinister.

The family first raised the alarm with police after Mrs Ristevski failed to show up to work at one of her Bella Bleu boutiques. “It’s not like her,” Sarah said in the days after the disappearance.

Karen Ristevski and husband, Borce.

Borce and daughter, Sarah, at Avondale Heights Police Station, issuing a public appeal after her disappearance in 2016. Picture: Sarah Matray

At a media conference a fortnight later, the university student became visibly distressed when a television reporter asked her father if he had killed his wife. Mr Ristevski maintained his innocence from the start, when he said his wife had left their home to “clear her head”.

“That was the last thing she said to me, ‘I’m going to go and clear my head’ ... She has ­always walked back in the door after calming down,” Mr ­Ristevski said.

“Without the knowing is the hardest part — not knowing where she is or what we can do to actually get her back,” he added.

Neighbours said on Wednesday Mr Ristevski had been seen at the family’s Avondale Heights home as recently as Tuesday.

The million-dollar home was put up for rent in October but neighbours said they had seen Mr Ristevski there several times in recent weeks. He had been arriving and leaving the house in late evenings.

The site where Karen Ristevski's body was found at Mount Macedon. Picture: Nicole Garmston

One neighbour, who did not want to be named, said a white mover’s van was parked outside the house a few days ago and people could be seen “packing the house up”.

Further down the street, neighbour Mark Johns said he had also seen Mr Ristevski and occasionally his daughter, Sarah.

“They rarely show their face on the street,” Mr Johns said.

“You only might see them going into their house or out to their car, but otherwise you don’t see a friendly face when you’re walking by,” he said.

“We’re quite a close-knit community so to see this happen is quite shocking.”

Mr Johns said it was ­reassuring now that someone had been charged and “justice has been served”.

Another neighbour said he had spoken to Mr Ristevski briefly a few weeks ago while mowing the lawn.

“I said ‘Hello’ and he said ‘Hello’ back. He was normal, we spoke about normal things,” he said.

“She (Karen) was a nice lady, I feel sorry for her, the poor thing,” he added.

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The Ristevski home in Avondale Heights in 2016. Picture: Jason Sammon

Another resident said she had seen a “rugged-looking” Borce at the house just days ago. “The house was for rent for a while but he’s definitely been living there,” she said.

Sarah had been living with relatives for some time. The neighbour said she felt incredibly sad for Sarah and her whole family, but was glad for some closure.

“It’s been horrendous ... we’ve had police in our street ... it’s frightening for my girls,” she said.

“When we moved in, he (Borce) came over with his daughter and brought wine and flowers — he was very hospitable. But it’s been a fiasco ... it’s been over a year, we need some closure,” she said.

Neighbours recalled Mr Ristevski knocking on their doors and asking if anyone had seen Karen, in the days after his wife disappeared.

Karen’s stepson, Anthony Rickard, recently told the ­Herald Sun he wanted to confront his father over the suspicions, and repeatedly called on Karen’s killer to hand themselves in.

“This is not something we can let go,” he said. “There can’t be a murderer walking around uncharged.”

Speaking after his wife disappeared, Mr Ristevski denied she had run away due to money worries.

“It had nothing to do with our financial situation, it was about the takings the previous day that we were discussing,” he said.

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