Skopje, 30 March 2026 (MIA) — The trial of a man accused of leading his wife and 6-year-old daughter to their deaths on March 2 following years of domestic violence begins Monday at the Skopje Criminal Court.

Stojanche Jovanovski faces several charges linked to the deaths. The married couple was in the middle of divorce proceedings following years of alleged physical and mental abuse against the wife, Ivana Jovanovska.

Prosecutors have charged Jovanovski with three primary offenses under the Criminal Code: inciting or aiding suicide (Article 128), relating to cruel treatment; bodily injury (Article 130 and Article 45), relating to a continuous pattern of domestic violence; and endangering safety (Article 144), relating to threats that created significant fear.

Judge Ivica Stefanovski will preside over the case. Stefanovski is known for presiding over the high-profile trial involving the murders of Vanja Gjorchevska and Pance Zhezhev.

According to the indictment, Jovanovski’s abuse began in 2019 and escalated through 2025 and early 2026. Prosecutors allege he "repeatedly and continuously" physically and mentally abused his wife, often humiliating and beating her in front of their daughter.

Despite Jovanovski’s wife and other witnesses reporting the abuse to the authorities, the violence continued. Prosecutors claim Jovanovski frequently threatened to kick his wife out of their home and take away their child.

The day of the tragedy, Jovanovski allegedly threatened and hit his wife near her workplace. Later, while driving to a court appearance, he reportedly threatened to kill her. Once they arrived near the courthouse, he physically attacked her, leaving her with head and body injuries.

After the couple picked up their daughter from school, a witness drove them home so the mother could pack her belongings and move to her own mother's house.

While Jovanovski and the witness waited outside the building, Jovanovska locked herself and her daughter inside the sixth-floor apartment. Driven by what prosecutors describe as "severe psychological distress, fear and hopelessness," she jumped from the balcony with her child. mr/