A man is reportedly on trial in connection to the gruesome death of his wife, a former Miss Switzerland finalist, with the case drawing attention due to its disturbing details.
Prosecutors allege Marc Rieben, 43, killed his wife, Kristina Joksimovic, a 38-year-old model and mother, during a violent argument at their home in Binningen in February 2024, according to Daily Mail.
BZ Basel, a Swiss outlet, reported that the dispute stemmed from tensions over Joksimovic’s request for a divorce, as well as money and custody of their children.
Citing an autopsy, BZ Basel reported that Joksimovi was strangled before being dismembered in the laundry room of the couple’s home — using a jigsaw, a knife, and garden shears. Several of her body parts were chopped up with a hand blender, pureed, and dissolved in a chemical, per the outlet.
“While disposing of her body, he is also said to have removed her uterus,” Daily Mail reported.
Her father reportedly found her remains after he went to the home after multiple calls went unanswered.
Court documents cited by the outlets noted the suspect claimed the suspect acted in self-defense — an assertion prosecutors dispute — as he allegedly said “she punched, kicked and bitten” him, as well as attacked him with a knife and a stiletto.
The Basel-Landschaft Public Prosecutor’s Office previously said the suspect was charged with murder and “disturbing the peace of the dead.”
“Based on the results of the criminal investigation, the Basel-Landschaft public prosecutor’s office assumes that the accused murdered his wife (age at the time of the offense: 38 years, nationality: Switzerland) in the property they shared in Binningen,” the prosecutor’s office noted in a news release.
Joksimovic had previously been crowned Miss Northwest Switzerland and was a finalist in the national Miss Switzerland competition, according to reports. She later worked as a catwalk coach and was known in the modeling community.
If convicted, the suspect could face a lengthy prison sentence under Swiss law.
A judge is set to deliver a verdict on May 13, according to Daily Mail.
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If you or someone you love is experiencing domestic violence, contact the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 or visit thehotline.org.