An Australian woman who stuffed a tea towel down the throat of an 85-year-old grandmother and threw her body into a river has been allowed to plead guilty to a charge of manslaughter, avoiding a murder conviction.
Discovery of the Body
The body of Lolene Whitehand was found floating in the Maribyrnong River in Melbourne, Australia, by a fisherman on July 14, 2024. The victim had been brutally beaten, smothered, wrapped in plastic, and dumped in the water with a blood-soaked tea towel rammed into her mouth.
Court Proceedings
On Thursday, June 18, her killer, Milena Bogojevska, 51, faced a pre-sentence hearing in the Supreme Court of Victoria. She was allowed to plead guilty to manslaughter rather than murder. It remains unclear why the Director of Victoria's Office of Public Prosecutions, Brendan Kissane KC, did not proceed with a murder trial. The court heard that unanswered questions about Ms Whitehand's precise cause of death may have influenced the decision.
The Crime
Ms Whitehand was last seen alive entering Ms Bogojevska's Glamis Street home on July 12 at about 4 pm, just two doors down from her own residence. Her disappearance immediately sparked concerns among neighbors, who had come to adore the woman who had lived on Glamis Street for 40 years.
An autopsy revealed her cause of death as upper airway obstruction, along with signs of blunt force trauma to her face. Her body was found wrapped in blue plastic sheets, her head covered by a blue bag with the name 'Anton' written in marker — the name of Ms Bogojevska's 15-year-old son.
Spending Spree
According to the prosecution's summary read in court, Ms Bogojevska burgled Ms Whitehand's home shortly after the killing, stealing money, jewelry, personal documents, and her debit card. She subsequently embarked on a spending spree using the victim's funds. 'I got no money ... Give me money and I'll shop,' Ms Bogojevska later told police as they were uncovering stolen goods hidden in her home.
CCTV footage obtained by police showed Ms Bogojevska dragging the body out of a car boot and rolling it into the river, despite her receiving a disability support pension for a supposed back injury.
Arrest and Denial
Ms Bogojevska was arrested on July 16 and claimed she had not seen Ms Whitehand for a week. She denied entering her home, using her card, and faked a limp when brought into the station — despite striding normally in CCTV footage captured at the time of the crime. 'I don't know anything about it. I'm hearing now from you. I never heard of it,' she told police.
When asked about the bag found on Ms Whitehand's head bearing her son's name, Ms Bogojevska insisted she had discarded it 'a long time ago, ages ago.' Forensic evidence linked Ms Bogojevska to the death.
Victim's Family Reaction
Ms Whitehand's neighbor Kirraly Schumann told the court her family had treated Ms Whitehand like one of their own. Outside court, she said Ms Bogojevska should still face a murder charge. 'It shouldn't be manslaughter… it wasn't an accident,' she said.
Sentencing
Ms Bogojevska's barrister, Amy Brennan, told Justice Jacinta Forbes that her client's crime did not fall into the worst category of manslaughter and requested the minimum term of imprisonment necessary. While the motive for Ms Bogojevska's actions remains unclear, the prosecution suggested it was motivated by opportunistic greed. Ms Bogojevska will be sentenced at a date to be fixed.
