Latest news with #DavidKnezevich
Newsweek
29-04-2025
- Newsweek
Man Accused of Killing Estranged Wife Found Dead in Jail: What To Know
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. David Knezevich, a South Florida business owner charged with kidnapping and killing his estranged wife, was found dead in his Miami jail cell on Sunday. Knezevich, 37, had been awaiting trial at the Federal Detention Center in Miami. He was facing charges that included kidnapping resulting in death, foreign domestic violence resulting in death and foreign murder of a U.S. national in connection with Ana Knezevich Henao's disappearance in Madrid in February 2024. His attorney, Jayne Weintraub, said he died by suicide. Newsweek contacted Weintraub via email for comment. An undated photo provided by the U.S. Attorney's Office in Miami of David Knezevich. An undated photo provided by the U.S. Attorney's Office in Miami of David Knezevich. U.S. Attorney's Office Miami via AP, File What To Know Knezevich Henao's body is missing and her family has said Knezevich's death means they are less likely to find out where she is buried. Knezevich pleaded not guilty to the charges in 2024. He was accused of kidnapping and killing his estranged wife in 2024, after she went missing from her apartment in Madrid, Spain. The pair shared a multimillion-dollar real-estate portfolio in Florida but were fighting over their shared assets when she left for Spain at the end of 2023. Knezevich sold a number of their homes worth nearly $7 million between December 2023 and February 2024, shortly before his wife of 13 years disappeared. There is no physical evidence tying Knezevich to the disappearance of his wife, and no evidence of blood or of a struggle inside of her apartment. However, prosecutors allege that on the evening of February 2, 2024, he carried his wife out of her Madrid apartment in a suitcase. Footage of him exiting the elevator in her apartment building, as well as CCTV footage of him at a Madrid hardware store, fabricated messages between Knezevich Henao and her husband and the use of stolen license plates on a rental car, made prosecution suspicious of Knezevich, and tied him to the crime circumstantially. They believe he rented a car to drive her body into Italy, as the GPS picked him up in the woods near Vincenza, Italy. However, a search led by the FBI, Spanish and Italian investigators uncovered nothing and nobody. When police searched his home, however, they reported finding a notebook containing references to death and killing. According to law enforcement, the notebook contained one quote from Joseph Stalin, former general secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, that read: "Death solves all problems. No man. No problem." Knezevich Henao was a naturalized U.S. citizen, while her husband was a Serbian national. He was being held in Miami after being deemed a flight risk and had been denied bond. What People Are Saying Jayne Weintraub, David Knezevich's attorney, in a statement, per CNN: "The defense team is devastated to learn of this news. We sincerely hope that an appropriate and prompt investigation will be conducted." The family of Ana Maria Knezevich Henao, in a statement, per the Miami Herald: "The suicide of Ana's murderer closes a painful chapter in our lives, previously filled with the dread that he might not face justice. Now, we may never know where he put Ana's body. It is a cruel final insult that we may never recover Ana's remains or know the full extent of the betrayal she suffered." What Happens Next Knezevich's trial was scheduled to begin in June. With his death, the criminal case against him is expected to be closed. The investigation into Knezevich Henao's disappearance may continue as authorities seek to uncover the full circumstances surrounding the case. Her death is also being investigated by the FBI. If you or someone you know is struggling with suicidal ideation, contact the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline by dialing 988, text "988" to the Crisis Text Line at 741741 or go to
New York Post
29-04-2025
- New York Post
Florida businessman accused of kidnapping and killing estranged wife as pair fought over millions found dead in federal lockup
A Florida businessman accused of kidnapping and killing his wife as the estranged couple was fighting over millions of dollars was found in his cell from an apparent suicide Monday, his lawyer said. David Knezevich, 37, was federally charged with the murder of his wife Ana Hedao Knezevich – though her body has never been found — after she moved to Spain last year. The Federal Bureau of Prisons said the Fort Lauderdale resident was found unresponsive in his South Florida cell before 8 a.m., leading to life-saving measures that were not successful. Advertisement 3 David Knezevich died inside a Florida prison from an apparent suicide on April 28, 2025. AP Knezevich's lawyer, Jayne Weintraub, said her client was found dead in his cell, but offered few details. 'The defense team is devastated to learn of this news,' Weintraub said. Advertisement 'We sincerely hope that an appropriate and prompt investigation will be conducted.' Ana Knezevich, who was Colombian-American, went missing just weeks after she moved to Spain in February 2024, sparking international attention. Security footage captured a man wearing a motorcycle helmet entering her apartment and turning off the surveillance camera before her disappearance, and prosecutors believe that man was her estranged spouse. 3 A missing persons poster for Ana Knezevich, displayed on a streetlight in Madrid, Spain on Feb. 16, 2024. AP Advertisement Knezevich was also seen on another security camera inside a Madrid hardware store the same day his wife vanished. He initially reached Serbia and then trekked to Spain to target his wife, according to the feds. The businessman owned a tech company as well as millions of dollars in Sunshine State real estate with his wife, which they purchased during their 13 years together, the Miami Herald reported. 3 Ana Henao Knezevich's brother Juan Henao leaves Miami federal court with attorney Courtney Caprio on May 10, 2024. AP Advertisement But the sprawling property portfolio was the center of a legal fight between the two as Ana Knezevich left the states for Spain in December 2023, the newspaper reported. Her estranged husband sold seven residential properties in Broward County between December 2023 and February 2024 to the tune of $6.7 million, prosecutors reportedly said. Weintraub has said the break-up was amicable and financial issues were being sorted out. With Post wires
Yahoo
28-04-2025
- Yahoo
Estranged husband accused in wife's death abroad dies by suicide in jail, attorneys say
David Knezevich, charged in the kidnapping and murder of his estranged wife Ana Maria Knezevich who disappeared in Spain last year, has died by suicide in jail, his attorney and Ana Knezevich's family said in statements Monday. Ana Knezevich, 40, was last seen on Feb. 2, 2024. She went to Madrid in December 2023 as she and David Knezevich were separated and preparing to divorce; she was considering staying abroad more permanently. Family and friends last received an odd text message from her phone, saying she had met a 'wonderful man' and would be staying with him and have no cellphone service. In May 2024, David Knezevich, 37, was arrested by federal authorities at Miami International Airport and had been held in the Federal Detention Center Miami without bond. He was indicted in November on charges of kidnapping resulting in death, foreign domestic violence resulting in death, and foreign murder of a U.S. national. The indictment accused Knezevich of flying to Istanbul before renting a car, driving from Serbia to Spain, spray-painting the security cameras at Ana Knezevich's apartment, then exiting with a suitcase. The suspicious text message sent from her phone was the same as one Knezevich had asked a Colombian woman to help him craft in Spanish for a novel he said his friend was writing. Knezevich was found 'unresponsive' at FDC Miami shortly after 8 a.m. Monday, the Federal Bureau of Prisons said in a statement. Employees tried life-saving measures, and emergency medical services personnel pronounced him dead. No employees or other inmates were injured, the statement said. David Knezevich's defense attorneys, Jayne Weintraub, Christopher Cavallo and Bruce Zimet, said in a statement to the South Florida Sun Sentinel: 'The Defense team is devastated to learn of this news. We sincerely hope that an appropriate and prompt investigation will be conducted.' While authorities continue to search, Ana Knezevich's family is pained that they may never recover her body, they said in a statement Monday. 'It is a cruel final insult that we may never recover Ana's remains or know the full extent of the betrayal she suffered,' their statement said. 'Still, we remain committed to seeking the truth and justice for Ana through our attorney, Mr. Ingber, and to preserving Ana's memory while honoring her life with dignity, strength, and love.' Attorney Adam Ingber said: 'While his death spares this family from the agony of a trial, it also leaves many questions unanswered, which we continue to pursue.' Sun Sentinel staff writer Shira Moolten contributed to this report. This is a developing story, so check back for updates. Click here to have breaking news alerts sent directly to your inbox.
Yahoo
05-02-2025
- Yahoo
Brother of Fort Lauderdale murder suspect accused of covering up evidence, paying inmates for favors
The brother of a Fort Lauderdale man charged with murdering his wife in Spain is now accused of serving as his liaison to the outside world as he awaits trial in a Miami prison, accessing his money, paying his fellow inmates for favors and covering up evidence related to the case, according to a newly unsealed search warrant. Government agents seized Ugljesa Knezevich's phone and laptop during a border patrol stop at Miami International Airport last month after saying they were searching for a 'ham' in his and his family's luggage. Now, the reason for the search is included in the warrant unsealed on a federal judge's order Tuesday afternoon. Ana Henao Knezevich, 40, disappeared from her apartment in Madrid almost exactly a year ago on Feb. 2, her body never found. Her estranged husband and business partner, David Knezevich, 36, was indicted last November on charges of kidnapping resulting in death, foreign domestic violence resulting in death, and foreign murder of a U.S. national. The two were planning to divorce and Knezevich did not want to split assets evenly with his wife, according to investigators. Now, the Federal Bureau of Investigations believes Ugjlesa Knezevich's devices contain evidence of foreign murder of a U.S. national; aiding and abetting; accessory after the fact; destruction, alteration, or falsification of records in federal investigations; wire fraud; conspiracy to commit wire fraud; and bank fraud, according to the Jan. 10 warrant. On May 24, the warrant says, David Knezevich emailed his brother with a list of five inmates at FDC Miami, the federal detention center where he is being held, their numbers and various amounts of money. Shortly after that, Ugljesa Knezevich paid the inmates the amounts listed, totaling over $1,400. A month later, in June, David Knezevich emailed his brother with orders to send new amounts to two inmates and $300 to himself, the warrant states. Ugljesa Knezevich paid one of the inmates as well as his brother. 'In my training and experience, I know that inmates often send money to one another for a variety of criminal reasons, including to obtain contraband, i.e., cell phones to prevent law enforcement from reviewing their telephonic communications …' an FBI agent wrote in the warrant. ' … based on my training and experience, I believe that Ugljesa is paying inmates on David's behalf to conceal his communications to Ugljesa and others, through one of the methods above.' Crime and Public Safety | Fort Lauderdale man accused of killing wife abroad will not face death penalty Crime and Public Safety | 'An unimaginable act of violence': Husband now charged with killing Fort Lauderdale woman missing in Spain That same month, police searched the brothers' parents' home in Serbia, looking for a laptop that David Knezevich had been using prior to Ana's disappearance, which has never been found. At the home, they found Facebook messages between Ugljesa and his mother 'that were indicative of the destruction of evidence,' the warrant states, in which they appeared to discuss wiping David's laptop. Also in June, Ugljesa Knezevich became an authorized used of Ana's American Express account and attempted to make payments on the card, despite her disappearance months prior, according to the warrant. The company would frequently ask for him to put either David or Ana on the line. Throughout one call with a representative, Ugljesa 'appeared to alter his own voice in an effort to sound as if he was the Victim,' the warrant states. The warrant also accuses Ugljesa Knezevich of reporting David's phone as stolen so that law enforcement could not gain access to it. Also, in October, the warrant states, Ugljesa talked with one of David's business accounts, pretending to be David while David, on the phone from prison, guided him through answering questions. Crime and Public Safety | Fort Lauderdale man accused of killing wife abroad will not face death penalty Crime and Public Safety | 'An unimaginable act of violence': Husband now charged with killing Fort Lauderdale woman missing in Spain Investigators also suggest that Ugljesa's December trip to Sevilla, Spain, his return from which led to the border patrol stop at the airport, had something to do with the murder case. 'Ugljesa's whereabouts on January 4th to January 5th are unknown. Madrid, Spain, the city where the Victim went missing, is approximately a 5-hour drive from Sevilla, and is also easily accessible by train from Sevilla in approximately 3 hours,' the warrant states. Investigators plan to search the devices for all information related to Ana Knezevich's disappearance, Ugljesa's recent trip to Europe, records related to the divorce and the couple's marital assets, financial records, and communications about destroying evidence, among other topics, according to the warrant. It was unclear Tuesday whether Ugljesa Knezevich faces criminal charges in relation to the case. Spokespeople for the FBI did not return an email late Tuesday afternoon.
