$30K used as payment in 1990s murder-for-hire plot must be forfeited: B.C. court

Canadian $100 bills are counted in Toronto, Feb. 2, 2016. (THE CANADIAN PRESS/Graeme Roy)

A B.C. court has ordered the forfeiture of $30,000 in cash that was seized during a murder-for-hire investigation more than 30 years ago.

The target of the murder plot, 25-year-old Alexandra Pesic, was gunned down outside of her workplace in Coquitlam on Aug. 5, 1992. The B.C. Supreme Court ruled on the matter of cash confiscated during the subsequent RCMP investigation on Monday, finding that it was "tainted by criminality" because Alexandra’s mother-in-law used it to pay a hitman and "co-ordinate the murder."

Alexandra’s mother-in-law, Jelka Pesic, was one of three people – in addition to the man who pulled the trigger – convicted of first-degree murder decades ago. A 1997 ruling on the unsuccessful appeal of that conviction sheds light on the sensational details of a case that inspired a made-for-TV movie called "The Perfect Mother" and has provided fodder for multiple true crime podcasts.

The murder

The court heard that Alexandra separated from Jelka's son Joe soon after the birth of their son in 1989. The issues of custody and ownership of the family home proved contentious in the subsequent divorce proceedings, and Jelka frequently expressed "resentment and enmity toward her daughter-in-law," according to the decision.

Jelka often referred to Alexandra as "an unfit mother, an unfit wife, an opportunist and a gold-digger," according to testimony from a friend, who also said Jelka often wished her daughter-in-law "was killed or be dead."

That same friend told the court that Jelka read a true crime book about the case of Cindy James, a B.C. nurse who died in mysterious circumstances in 1989. Jelka, according to her friend's testimony, said "she wished she could find someone who could do the same thing to her daughter-in-law." In 1991, someone sent a highlighted copy of that book to Alexandra, prompting police to question her in-laws.

The Crown's theory of the case, which the court was persuaded by, was that Jelka – and potentially other members of her family – enlisted a man named Milan Nenadic to "arrange the killing." Nenadic then contracted two men to carry out the murder, providing them with the gun used in the slaying.

The money

Five days after Alexandra was killed, Nenadic was arrested after leaving a meeting with Jelka. It was his arrest that led to the discovery of the $30,000, according to this week's decision.

"As the police handcuffed and searched Mr. Nenadic a package fell from around his waist to the ground. Mr. Nenadic was told that he was under arrest for possession of drugs. Referring to the package Mr. Nenadic said, 'That's not drugs. That's money. I don't do drugs,'" the ruling says.

"Shortly after Mr. Nenadic’s arrest, the police searched his home. The search uncovered a note, which contained his fingerprints. The note read: The job was done but the foreman was arrested for questioning. Don't worry he didn't say anything. Now he's leaving the country and the price is $30,000 more."

The money was entered as an exhibit at trial and held by the court pending the outcome of the appeal. It was then returned to the RCMP.

"Due to an absence of records, (police are) unable to determine why the forfeiture of the money was not addressed after the conclusion of Mr. Nenadic and Mrs. Pesic’s appeal," the decision says.

The forfeiture case

In 2017, a constable was ordered to dispose of the exhibits in the case and came across what was described as “a bundle of money ($30,000)” according to the decision. The officer contacted Jelka and Nenadic about the money, informing them authorities would be seeking a forfeiture order.

“Pesic informed (the officer) that she could not claim the $30,000. She stated that she was not involved in Alexandra Pesic’s murder and, therefore, the money did not belong to her," the decision says. Nenadic did not reply.

Jurisdictional wrangling delayed the application for forfeiture for several years, with the attorney general of Canada filing an application in 2023, arguing "the money has no lawful owner as it was tainted by criminality."

The judge agreed, and also noted that neither of the two convicts opposed the forfeiture.

"It is undisputed that both Mr. Nenadic and Mrs. Pesic were convicted of the murder of Alexandra Pesic and that the (B.C. Court of Appeal) accepted the inference that the money was used as a payment from Mrs. Pesic to Mr. Nenadic to co-ordinate the murder," the decision said.

"Allowing either Mr. Nenadic and Mrs. Pesic to benefit from these funds would contradict the societal interest in ensuring that individuals cannot benefit from criminal activity."