A 51-year-old woman, Milena Bogojevska, has been permitted to admit guilt to the charge of manslaughter after shoving a tea towel into the throat of an 85-year-old woman and discarding her body in the Maribyrnong River in Melbourne, Australia. The victim, Lolene Whitehand, was found by a fisherman on July 14, 2024.
During a pre-sentence hearing at the Supreme Court of Victoria on June 18, it was revealed that Bogojevska was allowed to plead guilty to manslaughter instead of facing a murder trial. The decision not to proceed with murder charges was attributed to uncertainties regarding the exact cause of Whitehand’s death, as per the Director of Victoria’s Office of Public Prosecutions, Brendan Kissane KC.
Evidence presented in court indicated that Whitehand was subjected to severe physical assault, suffocation, and was then disposed of in the river with a tea towel forced into her mouth. The victim was last seen alive entering Bogojevska’s residence on Glamis Street on July 12. Her body was discovered wrapped in plastic with a bag bearing Bogojevska’s son’s name.
An autopsy determined that Whitehand died from upper airway obstruction and had signs of facial trauma. Bogojevska, who had been receiving a disability pension, was identified through CCTV footage showing her moving the body and later burglarizing Whitehand’s residence.
Despite initially denying involvement, Bogojevska was arrested and linked to the crime through forensic evidence. The neighbor of the victim expressed that Bogojevska should face a murder charge, while Bogojevska’s barrister argued for a more lenient sentence for manslaughter. The prosecution theorized that the crime was driven by greed.
Bogojevska is awaiting sentencing on a yet-to-be-determined date.