ZURICH, Sept 14 — A former Swiss beauty queen was allegedly strangled by her husband before he reportedly put her remains into a blender and pureed them, according to local authorities.
According to Sky News, Kristina Joksimovic, 38, was killed in February in what is suspected to be a homicide in Binningen, a municipality just minutes from Basel, Switzerland.
While the victim was not named in the initial police report, UK newspaper The Telegraph identified her using medical records, and the BBC, citing Swiss outlet 20min, confirmed her identity as a 2007 Miss Switzerland finalist, referred to as ‘KJ’ in their reports.
Her husband, known only as Thomas in reports by The Telegraph and the BBC, reportedly told police shortly after the murder that he had discovered Joksimovic dead by the stairs and panicked, according to 20min, citing a detention hearing and a Federal Court ruling respectively.
He allegedly confessed to dismembering her, as noted in the hearing and ruling.
However, in March, Thomas purportedly confessed to authorities that he had indeed killed her, as reported by a Federal Court ruling cited by 20min and The Telegraph.
An autopsy revealed that Joksimovic was allegedly dismembered with a jigsaw and garden shears before her remains were chopped up and dissolved in a blender, according to 20min.
The report also indicated that Thomas “pureed” the remains and further dissolved them in a chemical, which contradicted his account of self-defense against his wife, according to these sources.
Joksimovic and her husband had two children, who have been cared for since immediately after the killing, as reported by the Basel-Landschaft police.
The public prosecutor’s office has yet to file charges against Thomas, who remains in custody, according to 20min.
In a 2007 profile, 20min noted that Joksimovic enjoyed foot volleyball, documentaries, and reading, and described herself as down-to-earth. She also mentioned that the 2001 film Blow starring Johnny Depp was one of her favourites.