Family's theory on why Borce Ristevski covered up wife Karen's manslaughter
The family of Karen Ristevski has floated a new theory on why her killer husband went to such great lengths to cover up his crime.
A relative is suggesting Karen’s husband Borce Ristesvki did what he did after killing his wife to spare his daughter, Sarah.
In the years since Karen disappeared, Borce never publicly showed emotion, but their daughter was heartbroken.
As theories swirl about why he suddenly confessed on Wednesday to manslaughter, a close family member told 7 News: “I think he covered it up for Sarah.
“The embarrassment and heartbreak of losing Sarah’s love would have been too much.
“He thought, ‘Deny, deny, deny. They can’t prove it.’ For him to have the presence of mind to do everything he did afterwards is unbelievable and unforgivable.”
Former chief magistrate Nick Pappas, QC, said Borce’s lack of remorse, burying his wife’s body and not telling the family were “very serious matters” which the legal expert believed may aggravate the husband’s sentence.
Meanwhile former homicide detective Charlie Bezzina predicted Borce “may be looking in the realms of five to eight years I would imagine”.
Victoria Police chief commissioner Graham Ashton told ABC Radio about the extensive efforts officers had made to put their case together.
“Everyone has worked very hard on that case, the police involved did a lot of investigations work on it,” he said.
“They’ll be sort of relieved in a way too that they’re able to move through with that plea.”
On the couple’s former Avondale Heights street, neighbours who knew Borce were stunned.
“We didn’t think that he’d be capable of doing something like that. He didn’t seem that sort of a person. We were shocked,” one neighbour said.
Borce’s son Anthony told 7News the confession about what happened came after a conversation with his dad’s lawyers.
Anthony said he warned them he was going to reveal humiliating information about his father during the murder trial.
There were fresh flowers on Thursday at Karen’s gravesite as Borce turned 55 behind bars.
