Officials agreed to a plea bargain last Tuesday that would force former Bearcat Miladin ‘Minja’ Kovacevic, who is accused of beating a fellow Binghamton University student into a coma, to serve a two-year sentence in a Serbian prison.
The Belgrade court must still make a ruling on the plea bargain and is scheduled to do so on Monday.
Kovacevic, a Serb national, is charged with inflicting severe bodily harm with possible deadly consequences on former student Bryan Steinhauer, 24, at the Rathskeller Pub on 92 State St. in May 2008.
The beating, during which Kovacevic, at 260 pounds, allegedly kicked the 130-pound Steinhauer repeatedly in the head and chest, left the victim with skull fractures and severe brain injuries. Had Kovacevic been convicted by the First Municipal Court in Belgrade, he would have faced up to eight years in prison.
The case has been a strain on U.S.-Serb relations since Belgrade refused to extradite any of its citizens to face trial in another country. Kovacevic was able to flee the U.S. with a fake passport thanks to the help of two Serb diplomats, who are now charged with abusing their positions.
Kovacevic is still charged with obtaining the fake passport to flee the U.S.
Both Hillary Rodham Clinton, first as a U.S. senator and later as secretary of state, and U.S. Senator Charles Schumer demanded Kovacevic’s extradition to the U.S.
Schumer denounced the agreement in a statement from last Tuesday.
‘This was a dastardly deed that almost killed Bryan Steinhauer. His injuries and suffering are worth more than two years.’
Serbian President Boris Tadic said that he did not believe that the deal would put any further strain on U.S. relations.
Broome County District Attorney Gerald Mollen, whose office had been working with Serbian officials to present evidence against Kovacevic, expressed his own displeasure at the agreement, commenting that it was not proportional to the crime committed.
Mollen added that the case against Kovacevic will remain open in the U.S.
‘Our case will remain open, so if he ends up walking into the United States, or any other country willing to extradite him, he would be facing prosecution in Broome County.’
Mollen declined to say how many years Kovacevic would face in that situation.
Two other suspects in the beating of Steinhauer, Edin Dzubur and Sanel Softic, pled guilty to felony charges last October and are serving two years each in a New York State prison, although Mollen noted that their part in the beating was significantly less than Kovacevic.
Steinhauer’s family released a statement last Tuesday describing the sentence as too lenient.
‘They have apparently decided to proceed with the deal despite our opposition,’ the statement said. ‘If this is the case, we are very disappointed. We have patiently waited for more than two years for justice to be served, and if this is to be the outcome, we feel our trust was misplaced. We hope that they will reconsider their position.’
The Serbian government paid $900,000 to Steinhauer’s family in March 2009 to pay for his medical expenses.
‘Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.