The people in a remote town in Kicevo, Macedonia, were not ready for the serial killer that lived amongst them. The town was rarely on the radar of the national press. But what happens when the person trusted to deliver the news is also the man behind the gruesome murders?
Vlado Taneski, a journalist for Macedonia’s Daily Newspaper raped and brutally murdered three women between 2003 to 2007. He then went on to write about these murders for the paper he worked for. Soon, the police were able to link him to the killings.
Who is Vlado Taneski?
Vlado Taneski was born in Kicevo in 1952. His father was a World War II veteran. Both his parents were quite the disciplinarians, that Vlado had very strained relationship with his mother.
He was very interested in writing and in poetry. He studied journalism in Croatia. There, he met Vesna, a law student, who he married later on.
Vlado’s Adult Life
Vlado worked in a radio station, and his wife, Vesna became the city’s first female lawyer. Vlado’s career in journalism wasn’t as successful. He worked for various newspapers, throughout the years and eventually got laid off in 2004.
Prior to losing his job, Vlado’s father committed suicide 2002. Shortly after, his mother passed away from an accidental overdosing. Even if he didn’t have the best relationship with his parents, he was affected by their deaths.
Vlado started to have financial problems which lead to his wife leaving for a promotion in another city. She eventually separated from him and took their two children with her. (Source: Bailey Sarian)
Who were the Victims?
Vlado raped and murdered three older women; Mitra Simjanoska, Ljubica Licoska and Zivana Temelkoska. All these women were uneducated, poor, and worked as cleaners. Just like Vlado’s mother. The victims also knew Vlado’s mother personally. It is uncertain, but this might have been the reason why Vlado chose them.
Mitra Simjanoska
She was 64 years old when she was murdered. She went out to go to the market on November 16, 2004 but never returned. Her daughter who did not live with her at the time, was quite concerned of her mother’s disappearance. She eventually called the police to check up on her. She was found two weeks later – tortured, beaten, strangled, bound, and raped. (Source: The Irish Times)
Ljubica Licoska
This 56-year-old disappeared in November 2007 while she was doing her groceries. She was found 3 months later with the same injuries and as Mitra. The big difference was the fact that she had been kept captive for several months before she was killed. (Source: The Irish Times)
Zivana Temeikoska
She disappeared on May 7, 2008 following a prank call about her son being hospitalized. She was found dead on May 16 of that year. The 65-year-old was tortured, raped, strangled and bound with telephone cords. (Source: The Irish Times)
How Did Vlado Get Caught?
Vlado wrote about the serial killer in Kicevo. He went as far as giving him the name the Kicevo Monster. Everyone was hooked to his words and praised him for his keen eye. But the police involved in the investigation became suspicious of him.
What gave him away were the details he had included in his reports. Most of the information he added were not announced to the public and were deliberately withheld by the authorities.
He was brought in for questioning and was later on detained. On June 23, 2008 Vlado committed suicide after learning that he had been charged for the murders. (Source: The Guardian)