A jury in Miami declared guilty David Knezevich of the murder of his wife, Ana Knezevichwho disappeared in Madrid in February of this year. The sentence closes a case that captured international attention and could condemn him to death. death penalty if found guilty, a possible outcome but subject to the decision of the United States Department of Justice.
Knezevich He was initially arrested in May on charges of kidnappingand the murder accusation was presented months later, supported by an extensive body of circumstantial evidence that included manipulation of security camerasfake messages sent from your phone Welland suspicious modifications in a rented vehicle.
According to CBS News, Ana Knezevich She was last seen on February 2 in her apartment in Madridwhere she had decided to spend some time to get away from her husband in the middle of a complicated divorce process. divorce. The couple, who had been married for 13 years, shared a technology company and owned several assets in the broward county, Florida.
Apparently, the legal dispute ongoing due to the distribution of million-dollar assets and mutual accusations led to Wellof Colombian origin, to temporarily move to Madrid in December 2023. According to relatives of Wellthis decision was a measure to distance oneself from David while finalizing the divorce. It was precisely the tensions between the two that activated the suspicions of his family, who quickly alerted the authorities after his sudden disappearance.
On May 3, David Knezevich was detained at the airport Miami under initial charges of kidnapping in connection with the disappearance of his wife. According to the authorities, the actions of David —including the use of a fake message sent from the phone Well— generated confusion that delayed the start of investigations in Madrid.
The kidnapping accusation was based on a series of evidence which, although circumstantial, suggest a premeditated plan: David had been seen in Madrid days before the disappearance of Welly security cameras They captured him in his wife’s building the same day she disappeared.
As the investigations progressed, it was revealed circumstantial evidence that pointed to a possible concealment on the part of David Knezevich. The prosecution presented safety videos that show David purchasing materials such as spray paint y adhesive tape in one Madrid hardware store the same day of the disappearance of Well.
It was also documented that Knezevich used these materials to disable security cameras in the women’s building. Another element was the use of a rented vehicle in Serbiato which were added tinted windows y stolen plates from another car, modifications that would have been an attempt to hide its movements between Serbia, Spain and other countries.
Furthermore, the authorities they discovered that Knezevich asked a woman to translate a message in Colombian Spanish to simulate a farewell note Well. Said message, which said that she had met someone in Madrid and would be gone for a few days, it was sent to friends of Well from your own phone, creating confusion and delaying the start of the police search in Spain.
Los defense lawyers of Knezevich have questioned the evidence presented by the prosecutor’s officepointing out that the case lacks physical tests conclusive, like traces of sangre or signs of violence in the apartment Well in Madrid.
Furthermore, they have argued that the jurisdiction of the case should be in Spain and not in Miamigiven that the alleged crime. The defense has placed special emphasis on the fact that prosecutors have not provided direct evidence that Well was murdered, appealing that the accusations are based on inferences, collected the Miami Herald.
The case of David Knezevich has required extensive international collaboration between the FBIthe Spanish National Police and other security forces in countries like Italia y Serbia. Since August, researchers from the FBI they joined the search in rural areas near Vicenzain Italiawhere a sign GPS of the car rented by David indicated that he detoured on his way back to Serbia. However, so far no trace of Wellneither in this region nor in the surrounding areas.
