A woman who stuffed a tea towel down the throat of an 85-year-old before disposing of her body in a river has been permitted to enter a guilty plea to a manslaughter charge. The body of Lolene Whitehand was discovered floating in the Maribyrnong River in Melbourne, Australia, by a fisherman on July 14, 2024.
Court Hearing Details
On Thursday, June 18, her killer Milena Bogojevska, 51, appeared at a pre-sentence hearing in the Supreme Court of Victoria after being allowed to plead guilty to manslaughter rather than face a murder charge. It remains unclear why the Director of Victoria's Office of Public Prosecutions, Brendan Kissane KC, chose not to pursue a murder trial. The court heard this was likely connected to unresolved questions surrounding Ms Whitehand's precise cause of death.
Brutal Attack and Disposal
The court was informed that Ms Whitehand had been savagely beaten before being smothered and discarded in the river, wrapped in plastic with a blood-soaked tea towel forced into her mouth. Ms Whitehand was last seen alive entering Ms Bogojevska's Glamis Street home on July 12 at around 4pm, just two doors from her own residence. Her disappearance immediately raised alarm amongst neighbours, who had grown deeply fond of the Glamis Street resident of 40 years.
Ms Whitehand's body was recovered wrapped in blue plastic sheets, her head concealed beneath a blue bag bearing the name 'Anton' — Ms Bogojevska's 15-year-old son's name — written in marker.
Post-Mortem Findings
A post-mortem examination established her cause of death as upper airway obstruction alongside evidence of blunt force trauma to her face. Ms Bogojevska had been claiming a disability support pension of $778 a fortnight after allegedly injuring her back while employed as a cleaner, yet CCTV footage obtained by officers indicated she was capable of dragging the body from a car boot and rolling it into the river.
Spending Spree and Arrest
According to the prosecution's summary read aloud in court, Ms Bogojevska broke into Ms Whitehand's home shortly afterwards, making off with cash, jewellery, personal documents and her debit card, before embarking on an extravagant spending spree using the victim's funds. 'I got no money ... Give me money and I'll shop,' Ms Bogojevska subsequently told officers as they uncovered the stolen items concealed within her home.
Her son Anton, then aged 15 and enjoying the school holidays, remained completely oblivious to his mother's actions. When police detained Anton in connection with the case and interviewed him, he was entirely exonerated.
Denials and Evidence
Ms Bogojevska was taken into custody on July 16 and maintained she had not seen Ms Whitehand for a week. She denied entering her home or using her card, and feigned a limp upon arriving at the station — despite having walked normally in CCTV footage recorded at the time of the offence. 'I don't know anything about it. I'm hearing now from you. I never heard of it,' she informed officers. When questioned about the bag discovered over Ms Whitehand's head bearing her son's name, Ms Bogojevska insisted she had disposed of it 'a long time ago, ages ago'.
Forensic evidence presented in court served to implicate Ms Bogojevska in the killing. Ms Whitehand's neighbour Kirraly Schumann told the court her family had welcomed Ms Whitehand as one of their own. Speaking outside court, she insisted Ms Bogojevska ought to still face a murder charge. 'It shouldn't be manslaughter... it wasn't an accident,' she said.
Sentencing Pending
Ms Bogojevska's barrister Amy Brennan told Justice Jacinta Forbes that her client's offence did not fall within the most serious category of manslaughter, urging that the minimum necessary custodial term be imposed. While the motive behind Ms Bogojevska's actions remains uncertain, prosecutors suggested it was driven by opportunistic greed. Ms Bogojevska will be sentenced on a date yet to be confirmed.
