The High Court has upheld the decision against Besnik Pjetri, suspected of being the perpetrator of the murder of his former father-in-law and former brother-in-law in the village of Grykë Zezë, Lezha.
The serious incident occurred on August 29, 2022, near the victims’ apartment, where the 45-year-old is suspected of having set up an ambush while waiting for them to return home. Father and son, Pjetër and Gentjan Përjaku, had returned from Italy, where they had lived for years, after attending a wedding in their hometown.
The ex-son-in-law had been following their movements and as soon as they arrived at the apartment, he approached them and opened fire with a barrage of bullets, leaving them dead on the spot. It is suspected that the serious crime was caused by the constant conflicts he had with his ex-wife and her family.
In its decision, the court reflected the testimonies of the victims’ families and the circumstances of the incident. According to the testimony of the victim’s wife, Pjetër Përjaku, on the evening of August 29, 2022, the family had returned from Italy and had gone to the apartment, when Besnik Pjetri, their ex-son-in-law, arrived there.
She stated that he first shot Pjetër Përjaku and then his son, Gentjan Përjaku, killing both of them and fled the scene.
The court argued the testimony of Besnik Pjetri, where he stated that the serious crime occurred after his ex-wife’s family members did not allow him to meet his daughter after the divorce.
“The defendant in the first instance trial declared his relationship with his wife Dorina, the expenses and emptying of the account by her, leaving the apartment and having an affair with someone else, while he was denounced by her for violence, served time in prison in Italy, and was beaten by his father-in-law and brother in Italy. He stated that he has continuously requested to meet his daughters, but has not been allowed.
“Even on the day of the incident, he thought that his daughters had also come and went to meet them. He took the gun and that wherever they would have called him, he would go armed. While on the day of the incident, he saw Pjetr putting his hand in his bag, he did not see Genti at all and only after 3-4 days did he learn that 2 people had died. He threw the gun into the mountain and did not know where to go,” the court argues.