A former Miss Switzerland finalist, Kristina Joksimovic, 38, was tragically strangled to death and dismembered by her husband, according to Swiss officials.
Joksimovic’s body was found on February 13 in the laundry room of her home in Binningen, located just two miles southwest of Basel.
Her husband, identified only as “Thomas” by Swiss media, reportedly confessed to the crime during a reconstruction of the events the following month. Despite his claims that he acted in self-defence and dismembered his wife “in a panic,” his appeal for release was rejected by a federal court in Lausanne on Wednesday.
An autopsy revealed that Joksimovic had been strangled before her body was dismembered using a jigsaw blade, a knife, and garden shears in the laundry room. In a horrifying turn, several of her body parts were pureed in a blender and dissolved in chemicals, according to the court’s ruling, as reported by the Swiss newspaper bz Basel.
Thomas claimed that his wife had attempted to attack him with a knife, but medical-forensic evidence contradicted his story.
Investigators also uncovered “concrete indications of a mental illness” in Thomas, describing him as having “sadistic tendencies.”
Authorities noted Thomas displayed a “remarkably high level of criminal energy, a lack of empathy, and cold-bloodedness” following the murder.
Prosecutors also revealed that he had previously choked an ex-partner and pushed her against a wall.
Thomas had previously applied for release from custody at the Basel-Landschaft Coercive Measures Court, but his request was denied. His subsequent appeal to a cantonal court, equivalent to a county court, was also rejected, leading him to file a final appeal at the federal level.
A family friend told Blick in February that the couple had been in crisis for months. “They seemed like the perfect family,” the friend said.
The case shocked the local community and raised questions about the extent of Thomas’s mental health issues and past violent behaviour.
