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Denis Tot murder trial: Defendants plead not guilty

Denis Tot murder trial: Defendants plead not guilty
Skopje, 5 September 2022 (MIA) - Two men and woman standing trial for the murder of the Croatian handball player Denis Tot, Angelo Gjorgievski, Andrej Kostovski and Klementina Levkovska respectively, at Monday's start of the trial at Skopje's Criminal Court pleaded not guilty to murder. In her opening statements on behalf of the prosecution, the prosecutor Tanja Trajchevska presented the indictment describing the incident during which Tot was beaten up to death at the Skopje City Park. "The injured party sustained several injuries from the blows, including severe bodily harm. As a result of the injuries, the injured party fell into a coma and was transported to the emergency clinic," she told the court. As a result of the head trauma, she added, termination of the brain neurons followed, which resulted in death on April 8, 2022. Trajchevska mentioned the list of evidence of the prosecution, including a written record of a search of a home and other premises, confiscated objects and pieces of clothes from the injured party and the defendant Angelo Gjorgjievski, two CDs from CCTV cameras, which had recorded the whole incident, a report from the autopsy performed on April 9, etc. The prosecution, she said, has interviewed the legal representative of Denis Tot, his father Igor, as well as witnesses present during the incident. "Having collected such evidence, I believe we will prove that the defendants had committed the crime as described in the indictment," Trajchevska stated. After saying they understand the crimes they have been charged with, the three defendants pleaded not guilty to murdering Denis Tot. The defendants, according to the indictment, on April 7, 2022 took the life of Denis Tot outside a nightclub in the Skopje Park. "After a brief argument, the three defendants hit and kicked the Croatian handball player repeatedly, causing Tot to fall into a coma. He died the next day," says the indictment. The trial continues on September 14.