Man sentenced for killing his wife with baseball bat
A 41-year-old man received a life sentence on Thursday for killing his wife of 17 years with a baseball bat.
Slobodan Miljus was on the eve of a jury trial when he pleaded guilty in September to a charge of first-degree murder with a deadly weapon, court records show.
During a brief sentencing hearing on Thursday, District Judge Tierra Jones sentenced Miljus to life in prison with the possibility of parole after 21 years.
The length of Miljus’ sentence was agreed upon in the guilty plea, court records show.
Neither Chief Deputy Public Defender Ryan Bashor nor Chief Deputy District Attorney Laura Rose presented arguments during Thursday’s sentencing hearing.
When asked if he would like to make a statement, Miljus shook his head and told the judge, “No, ma’am.”
Jones also ordered Miljus to pay $5,000 in restitution.
Miljus pleaded guilty to killing his wife, 31-year-old Zvjezdana Bencun, by hitting her over the head with an orange aluminum baseball bat on May 17, 2019. The couple’s teenage son had arrived home that day to find his mother bleeding from her head and his father with blood on his face, police have said.
The boy ran to a gas station and called 911 after his father gave him $20 and told him to leave the apartment, according to court records. When police arrived at the Summerhill Pointe Apartments, they climbed into the unit through a window and found Miljus sitting next to his wife, with blood covering his clothing and hands, police said.
Contact Katelyn Newberg at knewberg@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0240.
