VIDEO/PHOTO: In The Lair Of Ivana Hodak`s Killer

Javno news site visited Slogar`s habitat in Zapresic and reconstructed the path he took on that fatal October 6.

Murder investigation of young law intern Ivana Hodak ended in an unprecedented manner.

The police determined that the daughter of Attorney Zvonimir Hodak was shot twice in the head by homeless Mladen Slogar aka Zila or Cona, for retaliation.

Cigarettes cast doubt

Before he was arrested for the murder of 26-year-old Ivana Hodak, Slogar was arrested in the Sibice quarter of Zapresic by two police officers. One of the neighbours tipped them off that he noticed a suspicious tramp wandering around his hay storage. After a short search, officers found and arrested him, determining he had not identification papers. Noticing a bundle of cigarette packs next to him, they suspected he might be responsible for certain robbery incidents in that area.

He was booked and a gun was found in the haystack which where he would sleep, along with small amounts of cigarettes, which he was selling.

A gun was sent for analysis, while a judge fined Slogar 4,000 kuna. However, since he had no money, he spent 13 days in prison.

After analysis results came in, it was determined that Slogar`s Berreta was used to kill Ivana Hodak. He was again arrested on February 5 in Zagreb.

At the killer`s lair

Javno news site team visited the abandoned building in Zapresic`s Sibice quarter, where Mladen Slogar used to spend the night, and then headed down the “death path”, i.e. the path Slogar travelled on that fateful day when he killed Ivana Hodak, October 6, 2008.

The abandoned building, located just next to the match factory, could be used as the set of a horror film, apart from storing hay. The room was filled with moist hay, which Slogar used to sleep in, and is in the Western side of the old house. When we entered the room, we saw the only friend Slogar shared his “bedroom” with – a stray dog with a limp. Although it is possible to enter the room through the door, it seems that Slogar used the window in the Northern side, under which we found his red duffle bag and a black tennis shoe, we assume belongs to him.

Unfortunately, none of the tenants in nearby houses were in the mood to talk. However, we managed to talk to the doorman of the match factory, but he told us he never saw Slogar in the area.

We set out for the bus terminal, following the path Slogar took on that day when he killed Ivana Hodak.

“The wrong place, the wrong time”

According to the description Slogar told Zagreb investigators first, and then the investigative judge at Zagreb county Court, it turns out that the young law intern was at the wrong place, at the wrong time.

Slogar set out from the haystack on October 6, with the intention of buying shampoo in Petrinjska Street`s Lush cosmetics shop, according to the Vecernji list daily. Because of poor hygiene conditions he lived in, he had scabs on his head, therefore he wanted to purchase quality shampoo to wash his hair in the Sava River with. He reached the bus terminal in Zapresic`s centre on foot, where he got on the Crnomerec quarter-bound bus. He then took the tram to Zagreb`s main square, Ban Jelacic Square. This is when he noticed Ivana Hodak, walking towards Petrinjska Street, when he approached the Art Pavilion at the corner of Pavao Hatz Street. He knew Zvonimir Hodak`s daughter since she was four years old.  She used to play tennis with her dad at Mladost courts, which is where Slogar worked as the janitor. Even though it has been 14 years since the last time he saw her, Slogar recognised the young girl and retaliation against Zvonimir Hodak arouse in him again. He held Hodak responsible for the hard life situation he was in. He managed to catch up with Ivana at the entrance to the housing building, at number 2, and before she closed the door, he followed her inside. According to certain media information, he caught up with her between the ground floor and the first floor and after a brief argument, he retrieved a gun from his red duffle bag and fired two shots into young Ivana. Supposedly, he told the investigative judge that this is when he “blacked out”.

Walked for miles until Zapresic

After committing cold-blooded murder, Slogar walked away to the main train station, where he took the tram to the bus station. He walked along the Sava River bank all the way to Zapresic, for 10 kilometres. Mladen Slogar is currently in Zagreb`s Remetinec prison, where he was ordered 48 hours of detention. An indictment and charges are expected against him for murder out of self-interest.

Watch the video of the reconstruction (note that it is in Croatian) In The Lair Of Ivana Hodak`s Killer

and take a look in the attached photo gallery: In The Lair Of Ivana Hodak`s Killer.