Toni Stanoev, the triple murderer from Kavadarci, has been sentenced to life in prison. This was decided Friday by the Appellate Court in Skopje which accepted the appeal of the Public Prosecutor's Office in Veles. At the Basic Court in Veles, during the hearing, Stanoev initially got 40 years in prison. The decision of the Appellate Court was announced by the Basic Court in Veles on their website.
"With the sentence of Skopje's Appellate Court, the verdict of Veles Basic Court has been modified in the part on the decision for criminal sanction, so the defendant T.S. from Kavadarci, who was pronounced guilty of 3 murders, is now sentenced to life in prison", the written report states.
The members of the family that suffered from the crimes are satisfied with the verdict.
"With this decision the Appellate Court has restored our faith in the legal system and in the court. The pain we suffered cannot be described. Those that were closes to us lost their lives, and we feel like we lost our too. The perpetrator's apology does not mean anything to us. Our faith lies in hope that the verdict will be executed", Vrka Trcevska, sister of the deceased Ilija Lelov, said.
Stanoev has been convicted because on November 9, 2014, he used a gun and shot down Ilija Leov, Biljana Leov, and Snezana Leov in cold blood. They were the father, mother and sister of his wife. He commited the gruesome crimes at their home, while the family was preparing to have a family lunch.
"I cannot turn back time. Everything happened quickly. I want to express my condolences for the death of the 3 people", Stanoev said in his closing statement at Veles Basic Court.
According to the experts, and psychiatrists, Stanoev was in a calculating condition when he was committing the murders. He is not a person that has a mental disability or a mental disorder. The defendant has a right to an appeal at the Supreme Court.