A Kosovo court sentenced Naser Pajazitaj to life in prison for murdering his cousin, Donjeta Pajazitaj.
The First Instance Court of Ferizaj made the decision on Thursday, after the case was sent for a retrial.
Donjeta Pajazitaj was 24 years old when she was murdered in 2015. The indictment states that on November 11, 2015, she was on her way to work when Naser Pajazitaj picked her up in a car and shot her twice in the head in the west mountains of the village of Strellc, in the Deçan municipality.
The victim was found dead on December 27, 2015, six weeks after she was reported as missing by her family.
Pristina-based Kallxo.com reported that in the final session of the trial, prosecutor Valbona Dishaj-Haxhosaj stated that the accused committed the criminal offense of aggravated murder in a cruel or deceitful way, adding that she stood by the indictment on all counts.
Naser Pajazitaj’s defense said they will file an appeal to Thursday’s verdict.
Naser Pajazitaj was acquitted from murder by the Court of First Instance of Peja in March 2018, due to insufficient evidence presented by the prosecution. He was only sentenced to two years and four months in prison for owning an unlicensed gun.
Following an appeal for a retrial by the prosecution, the same court sentenced Pajazitaj to life in prison for murder, a decision upheld by the Court of Appeals in July 2019.
But when sent to the Supreme Court, the decision was overturned and the case was sent for retrial. This time to the Court of First Instance of Ferizaj to avoid any suspicions on dealings with the case, since the Court of Peja had already tried it twice.
Donjeta Pajaziti’s murder sparked several protests during the trial period.
