Translation: Joseph Stedul TRANSLATION Joseph Stedul
PHOTO Pixsell


CHANGE OF HEART

FEBRUARY 7 2009 14:36h

Slogar Changes Testimony, Ivana is Collateral Loss

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Mladen Slogar said that he did not intend on killing any member of the Hodak family, and that he did not contact anyone about his arrest.

ZAGREB, CROATIA - At the questioning at the investigation centre of the Zagreb County Court, the suspect for Ivana Hodak’s murder said:

“I am sorry for Ivana, I knew her when she was only four years old”.

Pixsell-.--.-Ivana Hodak's murder suspect being taken to County Court in ZagrebEven though he is being charged with murder for revenge, Mladen Slogar-Zila claims that Ivana was only a collateral victim, and that she was in the wrong place at the wrong time. He no longer claims that he had the intent of killing one of the Hodaks. Slogar suddenly changed his testimony after being defended by attorney Toni Zujic. After giving his testimony, he was taken to the Remetinec prison where he will be in custody for 48 hours, writes Jutarnji List.

According to protocol, Slogar was given the possibility of notifying one of his closer family members of his arrest, but he waived that right and said that he has nobody to notify about his arrest and being held in custody.

Hina and other media without information on testimony

According to news from Hina, the 61 year old presented his defence and answered questions by the investigating judge in the presence of his lawyer, but the contents of his testimony at the County Court could not be found out.

After the hearing, due to the especially serious circumstances of the crime that he is being charged with, he will be kept in custody for 48 hours, and was transferred to the Zagreb district prison in Remetinec.

It is expected that the prosecution will file an investigation request in that time, and that the suspect will appear before the investigating judge again in order to answer the demand. The hearing before the investigating judge will most probably be on Monday morning.

At a press conference yesterday, the police announced that Slogar killed Ivana Hodak last year in October, due to revenge. This is because he considered her father, the attorney Zvonimir Hodak, to be responsible that he was fired in 1995 in the sports park “Mladost” and for entering a hard life situation.