A Florida businessman already embroiled in charges for kidnapping his estranged wife in Spain now faces new allegations from U.S. authorities that he killed her. A federal grand jury in South Florida on Wednesday charged David Knezevich with kidnapping resulting in death, foreign domestic violence resulting in death, and foreign murder of a U.S. national. If convicted, he could face the death penalty.
Last June, Knezevich pleaded not guilty to accusations he kidnapped his 40-year-old wife, Ana Hedao Knezevich, who mysteriously vanished in a case that has gained international media attention. The 36-year-old businessman has been held without bond.
Jayne Weintraub, his lead attorney, announced that Knezevich intends to plead not guilty at an arraignment hearing scheduled for next week. “It is a desperate attempt by the government to charge everything possible and see what sticks!” Weintraub stated in an email. “There is no evidence that David Knezevich kidnapped or murdered his wife.”
Ana Knezevich disappeared from her Madrid apartment on February 2, just five weeks after moving there. Her body remains unlocated.
Security footage captured a man in a motorcycle helmet sneaking into her apartment building in Madrid, then disabling a security camera by spraying its lens. Later, the man was seen wheeling out a suitcase. Ana Knezevich, according to her driver’s license, stands about 4 feet, 11 inches tall and weighs 100 pounds.
Prosecutors assert that compelling evidence points to Knezevich as the man in the helmet. They claim he flew from Miami to Turkey six days before Ana’s disappearance, subsequently traveling to his native Serbia, where he rented a Peugeot automobile.
On February 2, security video allegedly captured him in a Madrid hardware store, situated 1,600 miles from Serbia. He was seen purchasing duct tape and a brand of spray paint identical to that used by the helmeted man, according to prosecutors.
When Knezevich returned the Peugeot to the rental agency five weeks later, it had accumulated 4,800 miles. Prosecutors noted modifications to the car, including tinted windows, removal of two identifying stickers, and evidence that the license plate had been temporarily removed and replaced.
The couple was in the throes of a bitter divorce, battling over millions of dollars in properties, according to prosecutors. They had been married for 13 years.
In a hearing earlier this year, Weintraub challenged the government’s evidence. She disputed the claim that Knezevich had liquidated some properties to finance a potential flight from the United States. Weintraub also insisted the split was amicable and their financial arrangements were being smoothly resolved.
