 "The shocking murder of Miss Switzerland finalist: Killed by husband, 'pureed' in a blender")
Crimes against women seem to be hitting new lows every day.
Just days after a harrowing case of a septuagenarian French woman raped by over 70 men surfaced, a chilling murder case of a former Swiss model has come to light.
Kristina Joksimovic, a former finalist in the Miss Switzerland contest, met a gruesome fate after she was allegedly smothered to death by her husband, Thomas, earlier this year.
This is not all, authorities revealed that they discovered the 38-year-old former model’s butchered body at her home in Switzerland’s Binningen, Sky News reported.
Here’s what we know about the horrific case so far.
(Please note the report contains details that readers may find distressing)
Who was Kristina Joksimovic?
Kristina Joksimovic, born in Binningen with Serbian roots, was a rising star in Switzerland’s modelling scene. She first gained recognition after winning the Miss Northwest Switzerland title in 2003 and later became a finalist in the 2008 Miss Switzerland competition.
Beyond her modelling career, Joksimovic worked full-time in IT recruitment. She went on to establish herself as a catwalk coach, helping aspiring models and businesswomen build confidence and enhance their presence. Her Instagram account, @catwalkcoach, boasted over 3,500 followers.
One of her notable achievements was training model Dominique Rinderknecht for the Miss Universe pageant, which led to a victory in 2013.
Impact Shorts
More ShortsFriends were left stunned by the news of Kristina Joksimovic’s tragic murder, with many expressing their grief and sharing heartfelt messages on her Instagram posts.
Christa Rigozzi, winner of Miss Switzerland 2006, wrote online, “No words, still sad. Rest in peace, my love.”
2018 Miss Switzerland winner, Jastina Doreen Riederer, added, “Speechless. Rest in God’s peace.”
Nadine Vinzens, crowned Miss Switzerland in 2002 and a close friend of Kristina, told Swiss news portal Nau.ch upon hearing the devastating news, “I knew her well, and I met him briefly. I am totally shocked and heartbroken. Never in my life would I have thought that something like this would happen.”
According to the Daily Mail, Joksimovic married Thomas in 2017. The couple lived in a “spacious semi-detached house” in a wealthy area of Basel.
Thomas, 41, was an entrepreneur, and the couple had two daughters. Just weeks before her death, Kristina shared photos of a “couple’s getaway” on her Instagram account.
However, a friend revealed that their relationship had been “in crisis for months.” Police had previously been called due to reports of domestic violence, hinting that their seemingly perfect life may have been far from ideal behind closed doors.
The gruesome murder
According to Swiss news outlet BZ Basel, the catwalk coach was found dead by a “third party”, in the laundry room of her residence in February this year.
After police arrived, the medical experts determined that Joksimovic had been strangled before her death. A further autopsy revealed some shocking details.
It said that her body was dismembered using a jigsaw, knife, and garden shears. While some of her body remains were later chopped with a hand blender, “pureed,” and dissolved in a chemical solution, the Swiss outlet reported.
Authorities left horrified by the callousness of the crime, arrested Thomas a day after Joksimovic’s body was found. Following his arrest, he confessed to the killing.
The 41-year-old told investigators during a crime reconstruction in March that he acted in “self-defence” after his wife allegedly attacked him with a knife.
After the murder, he was in a “state of panic”, and proceeded to dismember the former model’s body.
However, forensic reports contradicted his claims of self-defence.
Investigators have found “concrete indications of a mental illness” in Thomas and described him as having “sadistic-sociopathic traits”, Swiss outlet FM1 Today said.
They noted his “remarkably high level of criminal energy, lack of empathy, and cold-bloodedness” following the murder of his wife. The Federal Court in Lausanne denied his appeal for release from custody on Wednesday.
During the trial, prosecutors also disclosed that Thomas had previously strangled his wife. Additionally, a former partner claimed that he had once grabbed the beauty queen by the neck and slammed her head into a wall.
As the investigation into the case that shocked Switzerland continues, officials are now piecing together the events that led to this horrific crime.
With input from agencies
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