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Thread: Canadian Predrag Perisic Sentenced in 2010 Texas Slaying

  1. #1
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    Canadian Predrag Perisic Sentenced in 2010 Texas Slaying



    Predrag Perisic, a Canadian citizen who lived in Montreal until 2007, was indicted by a grand jury in Texas on Friday for capital murder and capital attempted murder - both of which are punishable with the death penalty upon conviction. The 55-year-old is alleged to have shot his 10-year-old son, Deyan, to death and seriously wounded his 12-year-old daughter, Danyela, on Dec. 13 in Coldspring, Tex., about 100 kilometres from Houston.

    Perisic had been missing with his children in Texas for more than a month at the time of the shooting. A Quebec Court order had been issued for him to return the children to the custody of their mother, Vera Vucerakovich, in Montreal. The couple was in the process of getting a divorce.

    Richard Countiss, the district attorney in San Jacinto County, told The Gazette that Perisic was actually indicted on five counts; capital murder, attempted capital murder, murder, attempted murder and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. The reason for that is that Quebec Court documents in the custody case left Countiss uncertain that he could prove that Perisic was guilty of kidnapping. One of the documents expired five days before the shooting, although Countiss said he received other documents Thursday that showed the custody order had in fact been extended and was in effect at the time of the shooting.

    The kidnapping charge will be handled by a prosecutor in another county, Countiss said.

    The murder and attempted murder charges are "fall-back" charges, Countiss said, that could be used instead of the capital murder and capital attempted murder charges should Perisic and his lawyer have the capital charges quashed because the Quebec documents are deemed unclear, or not strong enough proof that a kidnapping took place. A capital case involved the commission of at least two different types of felony crimes, Countiss said.

    The murder and attempted murder charges are both punishable with consecutive life sentences, Countiss added.

    Perisic will continue to be detained in San Jacinto district jail for the time being. He could face a trial as soon as this summer, Countiss said.

    Asked if he had any reluctance to pursue the death penalty against a citizen of Canada, which does not have the death penalty, Countiss said no. "No disrespect to Canada, since it's one of the few respectable places that I would consider living outside of the United States," Countiss said. "But when you visit a country, you live by the laws of that land."

    Read more: http://www.montrealgazette.com/news/...#ixzz1F1HUx7hc

  2. #2
    Senior Member CnCP Legend JLR's Avatar
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    A Montreal man has pleaded guilty in Texas to killing his young son and seriously injuring his young daughter almost two years ago.

    Predrag Perisic, 57, pleaded guilty Thursday to first degree murder and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon in connection with shooting and killing his 10-year-old son Deyan and with critically wounding his 12-year-old daughter Danyela at his home in Coldspring near Houston in December 2010.

    "To my surprise, one of his attorneys approached me and said they were very seriously considering the acceptance of a plea offer I had made," said Richard Countiss, San Jacinto County district attorney.

    Police say the children were shot 8 to 12 times.

    Perisic was supposed to bring the children back to Montreal to their mother. The two were going through a divorce.

    "I can't read his mind and no one really knows. He and his wife were in a very bitter divorce and a fight over the children and he had vowed she would never get them back and he tried to carry out that promise," Countiss told CJAD News.

    The girl is now 14 and living with her mom.

    "All reports I have are that she is doing very, very well."

    A sentencing hearing is set for mid-December. Perisic faces life in prison with no chance at parole for 45 years.

    "I don't think he'll be making parole," Countiss said.

    "My goal all along was to put him in the pen for the rest of his life and I think we will accomplish that."


    http://www.cjad.com/CJADLocalNews/en...tryID=10447103

  3. #3
    Jan
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    The punishment hearing is set for December 14, 2012, in the 411th Judicial District Court, San Jacinto County.

    Canadian gets 99-year sentences for murdering son, shooting daughter



    A Canadian national received two 99-year prison sentences on Dec. 14 after pleading guilty to murdering his 10-year-old son and shooting his 12-year-old daughter.

    Predrag Perisic was sentenced by Judge David V. Wilson, a senior district judge from Lufkin. Wilson presided over the punishment phase of the case at the request of 411th State District Judge Robert H. Trapp who could not attend due to illness.

    Perisic, a Serbian native, pled guilty on Oct. 4 of this year to first degree murder in the shooting death of his son and guilty to aggravated assault with a deadly weapon on a family member in the shooting of his daughter.

    Perisic is a Serbian national that traveled to Canada in approximately 2000 as a marine engineer, according to Richard Countiss, San Jacinto County Criminal District Attorney. He moved to the United States in 2005. He was living in the La Porte area seeking employment in the Houston Ship Channel.

    Countiss explained that Perisic and his wife were having marital problems and his wife filed for divorce in Montreal, Canada. A Canadian court ordered Perisic to deliver custody of their two children to his wife in Houston.

    “Instead, he took the children out of school and went into hiding,” said Countiss.

    A missing children task force composed of regional law enforcement officials was deployed to find the children.

    The task force located Perisic and the children in a home on Lake Livingston at 21 Red Bird Ln.

    “When they attempted to arrest him, he allegedly opened fire on the children, killing his 10-year-old son and seriously injuring his 12-year-old daughter,” said Countiss.

    The children, Deyan Perisic and Danyela Perisic, were shot approximately eight to 12 times. Investigators recovered 12 shell casings fired from a 9 mm pistol.

    Officers subdued and arrested Perisic on Dec. 13, 2010. He has remained in the San Jacinto County Jail since his arrest.

    Perisic’s daughter Danyela has recovered from her injuries and now, at 14 years old, is doing well, according to Countiss.

    “This man should receive two life sentences for what he has done,” said Countiss to the judge during closing statements. “He murdered his son and tried to murder his daughter.”

    Countiss told the judge that the case could have been a capital murder trial but he did not pursue the death penalty because he believed that a greater punishment for Perisic was for him to spend the rest of his life in prison.

    Defense Attorney William Patterson said that the case could best be described as a tragedy and pleaded on his client’s behalf for less than a life sentence.

    The only evidence presented by the prosecution for the sentencing hearing was a 50-minute video of Perisic’s daughter, who was 12 years old at the time, being interviewed in a hospital room less than a month after the shooting.

    Wilson recessed the court to watch the video in private chambers. Approximately one hour later, he returned to the court and handed down a sentence of 99 years in the Texas Department of Criminal Justice prison system for murder and 99 years in prison for aggravated assault.

    The mother of the children and ex-wife of Perisic, Vera Vucerakovich, read a victim’s impact statement to the court after the sentence. The statements expressed the loss of her son. Her hands were shaking slightly as she read the emotional words.

    “My son will never have the privilege of graduating, attending his prom, pursuing his goals,” said Vucerakovich. “His father took that away from him, me and my family and of course his sister Danyela. Deyan was a loving son.”

    She also spoke of her daughter’s painful recovery from the gunshot wounds over several months.

    “Her multiple surgeries have left her entire body scarred,” said Vucerakovich. “The months of recovery and pain she endured for months on end was unbearable to witness. No mother should have to witness a 12-year-old go through withdrawal symptoms from the pain-relieving drugs.”

    Vucerakovich also read a statement from her daughter who did not attend the sentencing hearing.

    Her daughter wrote: “I have lots of anger against my dad and I hate him for what he did to me and my family. I think he has never been a father to me and he never will. I never want to see his disgusting face ever again in my life.”

    Perisic was emotionless and did not speak during the sentencing hearing. He looked down at the table in front of him as his ex-wife spoke.

    The complete transcript of the victim impact statements from the mother and daughter were obtained by The Advocate and are available online and in this edition of the newspaper.

    Countiss thanked law enforcement officials for their work and expertise in the case.

    “I deeply appreciate the hard work of all the law enforcement agencies that put this case together and gave me excellent evidence from which to work,” he said.

    Perisic’s attorney offered little comment after the hearing.

    “It was expected,” said Patterson on the two 99-year sentences his client received.

    Perisic’s guilty plea includes a waiver in both charges not to pursue an appeal to the sentence.

    Countiss said that he was pleased with the sentence handed down by Wilson.

    “The sentence of 99 years on both charges means this man will never be released from prison,” he said after the hearing. “He is 57 years old and he received the equivalent of a life sentence. That is what he should have received for the life he took and the life he almost destroyed.”


    http://www.yourhoustonnews.com/cleve...6725e3cf4.html

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