Fort Lauderdale, Florida (AP) — A Florida businessman charged with kidnapping and killing his estranged spouse in Spain was discovered lifeless from obvious suicide Monday morning in a South Florida federal jail, his protection lawyer mentioned.
David Knezevich, 37, was awaiting trial on the Federal Detention Middle in Miami. He was charged final yr with kidnapping and killing 40-year-old Ana Hedao Knezevich, who went lacking in a case that has drawn worldwide media consideration.
Knezevich’s lawyer, Jayne Weintraub, mentioned she realized that he was discovered lifeless in his cell however didn’t supply any particulars about how he died.
“The protection crew is devastated to be taught of this information,” Weintraub mentioned. “We sincerely hope that an acceptable and immediate investigation will likely be carried out.”
The Federal Bureau of Prisons confirmed that Knezevich was discovered unresponsive in his cell shortly after 8 a.m. Responding workers initiated life-saving measures earlier than emergency medical providers arrived and took over, officers mentioned. EMS personnel ultimately pronounced Knezevich lifeless. The FBI and the U.S. Marshals Service had been notified.
Ana Knezevich disappeared from her Madrid condominium in February 2024, 5 weeks after she had moved there. Her physique nonetheless hasn’t been discovered.
Ana Maria Knezevich Henao, a 40-year-old American girl, who was reported lacking in Madrid in 2024. – From Spain’s Inside Ministry
A man in a motorcycle helmet was seen sneaking into her condominium constructing and disabling a safety digital camera, and was later seen wheeling out a suitcase.
Prosecutors say they’ve sturdy proof Knezevich was the person within the helmet. They are saying he flew to Turkey from Miami six days earlier than Ana’s disappearance, then instantly traveled to his native Serbia, the place he rented a automobile. Safety video captured Knezevich at a Madrid ironmongery shop the identical day his spouse disappeared, and his rental automobile had been pushed 4,800 miles (7,700 kilometers) when it was returned 5 weeks later, officers mentioned.
The couple was in the midst of a contentious divorce whereas combating over tens of millions of {dollars} in properties, based on prosecutors. They’d been married for 13 years.
Weintraub has mentioned the break up was amicable and the monetary preparations had been being labored out.
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