Skopje, 17 April 2026 (MIA) — A man charged in the deaths of his wife and 6-year-old daughter told the Skopje Criminal Court court Friday that he was the victim of a conspiracy involving planted drugs, blackmail and an extramarital affair.

Stojanche Jovanovski faces charges of domestic violence, endangering safety and inducing or aiding suicide. The charges are linked to a March 2 tragedy in which his wife, Ivana, jumped from a sixth-floor balcony with their daughter, Katja. Both died in the fall.

Jovanovski told the court that his wife had been having an affair with his coworker Martin Sazdov. He claimed the relationship led to a plot to have him arrested, alleging that Sazdov had blackmailed Ivana to obtain a spare key to Jovanovski’s car.

On Dec. 29, 2025, police found "a suspicious substance" in Jovanovski’s car. He told the court the drugs were planted by Sazdov using that spare key.

The defendant claimed Ivana eventually admitted to the plot after he was released with precautionary measures.

Jovanovski said their marriage began to fall apart in 2022 after he found messages from his coworker on his wife’s phone. He said he had caught Ivana texting Sazdov while driving home from a wedding in August 2025. He said he tried to take her phone, and she grabbed their daughter and began walking in the opposite direction along the highway.

Among other things he told the court, Jovanovski said that he had followed the pair and saw them kissing. He also claimed Sazdov had pulled a Kalashnikov rifle on him and hit him with the barrel. 

Describing the events of March 2, Jovanovski said he saw his wife getting out of Sazdov’s car near her workplace. He admitted he "swung at her in revolt."

Later, while Jovanovski was outside their apartment building, he heard a loud thud. He said Sazdov began shouting that Ivana had fallen. Jovanovski claimed he was so upset that he threw himself in front of a moving car, which hit him in the leg, before calling an ambulance for his wife and daughter.

"I don't remember what happened next," he said.

Prosecutor Adela Bojchevikj dismissed Jovanovski's testimony as a calculated attempt to avoid accountability.

"The defendant is putting himself in the role of a victim to try and avoid criminal liability," Bojchevikj told reporters after the hearing.

She cited psychological evaluations that describe Jovanovski as highly manipulative with a tendency to distort the truth to protect himself. She claimed that the evidence, including expert opinions, would prove he shifted blame to others to minimize his own violent behavior.

The trial continues. mr/