Journalist kills, gives cops clues in reports

Police in Macedonia arrested a journalist believed to have committed at least two murders, after his reports about the crimes raised suspicion. Police officers took Jutarnji List's Kicevo correspondent Vlado Tanevski into custody on Friday, after sufficient evidence was gathered linking him to the murders of Zivana Temelkovska, 65, and Mitra Simjanovska, 65. Journalist kills, gives cops clues in reports Investigators also suspect that he killed Ljubica Lichovska, 56 and Gorica Pavleska, 79. All four victims came from the same area of Kicevo, had mostly lived alone, and worked as cleaners. Their profile is similar to that of Tanevski's mother, with whom reports say he had "a bad relationship". The women were all abused – some of them raped – before they were brutally murdered. Police said that the cause of death was strangulation in each of the four cases. The bodies were found naked, tied with telephone cables and dumped near the western Macedonian town. Tanevski reported about the murders for his newspaper, and even spoke with the victims' families and officials in charge of investigations. But he became a suspect after police realized that some of the reports contained details about the murders that were never made public. His editors now say they printed the articles "because they were rich in details", never suspecting that the man who wrote them might have been reporting about the murders he committed. Police also said they conducted a search of Tanevski's house Friday, where they recovered material evidence tying him to the killings. More evidence relevant to the cases was found in his car, officers said.

Journalist kills, gives cops clues in reports

Investigators also suspect that he killed Ljubica Lichovska, 56 and Gorica Pavleska, 79.

All four victims came from the same area of Kičevo, had mostly lived alone, and worked as cleaners. Their profile is similar to that of Tanevski's mother, with whom reports say he had "a bad relationship".

The women were all abused – some of them raped – before they were brutally murdered. Police said that the cause of death was strangulation in each of the four cases. The bodies were found naked, tied with telephone cables and dumped near the western Macedonian town.

Tanevski reported about the murders for his newspaper, and even spoke with the victims' families and officials in charge of investigations.

But he became a suspect after police realized that some of the reports contained details about the murders that were never made public.

His editors now say they printed the articles "because they were rich in details", never suspecting that the man who wrote them might have been reporting about the murders he committed.

Police also said they conducted a search of Tanevski's house Friday, where they recovered material evidence tying him to the killings. More evidence relevant to the cases was found in his car, officers said.