Was Snezana Stojanovska killed for being pregnant?
A young woman was found dead lying on a makeshift bench press with a barbel over her neck in the garage of her Preston home in 2010. Police have now revealed a possible reason behind her murder.
Cold Cases
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A young woman’s pregnancy triggered her murder — dressed up as a weightlifting mishap — police say.
Snezana Stojanovska, 26, was found dead in 2010, lying on a makeshift bench press in the garage at her home with a 30kg barbell across her neck.
Soon after the death, it was established she had been strangled. Now it can be revealed police believe Mrs Stojanovska was murdered because she was pregnant.
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“Evidence suggests Snezana had only recently found out she was pregnant and was due to attend the doctors to confirm her pregnancy on the day she died,” detective Senior Sergeant Pixie Fuhrmeister told the Herald Sun.
A cold case investigation has pinpointed the victim’s husband, Dragi Stojanovski, as the key suspect, with others close to him identified as persons of interest.
The Homicide Squad believes the suspect’s brother Vasko — whether he knows it or not — is the keeper of family secrets but so far has not revealed what he knows.
The Herald Sun has also learnt there was a rift between Dragi Stojanovski and his wife.
Lying on an ironing board propped up with telephone directories, Mrs Stojanovska was wearing gardening gloves, pyjamas and a dressing gown when she was found dead.
After autopsy results came back five days later revealing the hairdresser was strangled, the Homicide Squad was called in.
“There was no previous reported history of family violence between Dragi and Snezana, however the investigation has revealed controlling behaviours by Dragi over Snezana … in particular regarding finances and isolating her from friends and family,” Sen-Sgt Fuhrmeister said.
When the Herald Sun approached Mr Stojanovski about the death, he said: “It’s hard to talk about. It’s not something I wish to talk about.” It is not suggested that Mr Stojanovski is guilty, just that he is a suspect. He was identified as a key suspect in an inquest and told to seek legal representation.
Police also say Mrs Stojanovska’s diary may have been tampered with. Entries about training, in the weeks before she died, had different characteristics to those made previously, with the words “interval training” not used elsewhere.
But analysis has not conclusively proved the diary was doctored, due to “insufficient characters” in entries. Phone records show that on the day his wife died, Mr Stojanovski called a doctor’s clinic at 10.37am, where results had come in from a blood test confirming a home pregnancy test.
Not long after, his screams woke up his mother, Pisana, who alerted his brother to the grim scene in the garage of the Preston home they all shared. Vasko Stojanovski called triple-0 at 11.14am on November 28. It was alleged at the inquest that the call to the doctor was made to prevent suspicions being raised about Mrs Stojanovska not keeping her appointment.
When police arrived, they found Mr Stojanovski inconsolable — he was unable to talk and was on his knees crying and vomiting into a bag.
He told police he woke to find his wife dead and suggested a troublesome neighbour could be behind it.
Police have further accused family members of staging the death to resemble a weightlifting accident.
Sen-Sgt Fuhrmeister said investigators had identified “many inconsistencies” in the accounts of the brothers and their mother, including that she took the barbell off her daughter-in-law despite her being frail and ill.
“Investigators have some reservations regarding the accounts provided by Dragi and Pisana,” she said. In August last year, the Coroner ruled Mrs Stojanovska’s death was a homicide and she was strangled.
TIMELINE
November 26, 2010
Snezana Stojanovska attends a doctor for a blood test to confirm the positive result of her stay at home pregnancy test.
November 28, 2010
Snezana had an appointment booked at the doctor to confirm the results of the pregnancy.
Dragi Stojanovski calls doctor’s clinic at 10.37am. It is alleged it was done to cancel his wife’s pregnancy check up a on the same day.
Dragi Stojanovski later finds his wife Snezana Stojanovska dead in a garage with a barbell across her throat, lying down on a makeshift bench press — an ironing board propped up on phone books,
She was working out in her dressing gown, which was scrunched up at the back and hanging off her shoulders and arms, the pyjama pants at the back were pulled down, indicting she was dragged onto the ironing board. She wasn’t wearing shoes or a bra.
After hearing please for help from his mother Pisana, Dragi’s brother Vasko calls Triple 0 at 11.14am. He hands up but the operator calls back.
December 2, 2010
Autopsy results come back and the cause of death determined to be asphyxiation secondary to neck compression (strangled). Mrs Stojanovska had bruising around her jawline, earlobes, abrasions on her neck, chest and deep internal haemorrhaging.
Homicide squad launch investigation.
February 2011
DNA testing confirms Dragi is he father of the baby.
April 11, 2011
Dragi tells police it may have been an intruder. Police do not find any signs of forced entry.
April 12, 2011
Pisana tells police she checked that all doors were locked before going bed. Tells police her son was not responsible for the death.
September 25, 2015
Sports scientist gives a police statement the bar would not have been able to balance on the victim’s chest as it only took millimetres to tilt. There were no collars on the end of the barbell, the weights would have come off if she had lost control of the bar.
April, 2018
Dragi Stojanovski identified as key suspect in a Coroner’s Court hearing and told to seek legal representation.
July 30, 2018
Coroner finds Snezana’s death was the result of a homicide and that she had been strangled.
February, 2019
Police reveal their belief that Snezana’s pregnancy was the motive for the killing.