Husband charged with allegedly killing missing wife Ana Knezevich in Spain

MIAMI (TCN) -- Federal prosecutors announced murder charges against a man they allege killed his missing wife in Spain and then disposed of her body, which has yet to be found.

Court records obtained by "True Crime News" show a grand jury in Miami returned a superseding indictment against David Knezevich on Nov. 13, charging him with kidnapping resulting in death, foreign domestic violence resulting in death, and foreign murder of a United States national in connection with Ana Knezevich’s disappearance and death.

Federal officials originally arrested Knezevich on a kidnapping charge in May when he returned to Miami from his native Serbia.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office alleges Knezevich traveled to Serbia and drove to Spain, where his wife was living. Surveillance footage reportedly showed Knezevich buying spray paint and duct tape from a local store on Feb. 2, the last day Ana Knezevich was seen alive. Video footage showed a man in a motorcycle helmet covering a surveillance camera with black spray paint in Ana Knezevich’s building.

According to the Miami Herald, Knezevich could face the death penalty if convicted.

Ana Knezevich and David Knezevich ran a successful business together in Fort Lauderdale, but then they broke up after 13 years of marriage. The two had reportedly been arguing about finances prior to her disappearance. Following the split, Ana Knezevich, who originally hailed from Colombia but was a U.S. citizen, relocated to Spain. Ana Knezevich’s best friend Sanna Rameau told "True Crime News" that she planned to visit Knezevich in Madrid, and the two discussed the details. Rameau said Ana Knezevich told her she was "feeling great and looking forward to my visit" when they spoke on the phone.

On Feb. 3, Rameau received a text from Ana Knezevich but said the messages were "strange" because it didn’t sound like Knezevich’s voice or behavior. The message read, "I met someone wonderful!! He has a summer house about 2h from Madrid. We are going there now and I will spend a few days there. Signal is spotty. I’ll call you when I get back."

She wrote in a follow-up text, "Yesterday after therapy I needed a walk and he approached me on the street! Amazing connection. Like I never had before."

Rameau told "True Crime News," "Nothing made sense of it, because she wouldn’t leave. She wouldn’t meet a stranger on the street and go to some other place with this person."

Rameau flew to Madrid and asked David Knezevich to meet her and help her look for her friend.

According to Knezevich’s criminal complaint, Knezevich allegedly matched with a Colombian woman on a dating app in October 2023, and on Feb. 3, he allegedly messaged her on WhatsApp and asked her to translate a message in "perfect Colombian." He claimed it was for a "friend in Serbia who is writing a script about a Colombian character."

Knezevich reportedly purchased a plane ticket from Serbia to Colombia on Feb. 16 but never boarded the flight scheduled for Feb. 19. The woman from the app reportedly Googled Knezevich’s name and found out Ana Knezevich was missing in Madrid. She also read a news article "that contained a message purportedly from Knezevich’s wife that matched the exact wording of the text she and Knezevich had put together on or about Feb. 3, 2024."

Investigators learned Knezevich flew from Miami to Istanbul, Turkey, on Jan. 27, then drove to Belgrade, Serbia, on Jan. 30. He was recorded returning to Serbia on Feb. 5. 

Officials believe Knezevich drove 1,600 miles from Belgrade to Madrid and was spotted leaving his wife’s apartment with a suitcase. Knezevich brought the car back to the rental location with 7,677 kilometers (about 4,770 miles) on it, a new license plate, and tinted windows. The new plates were reportedly reported stolen out of Spain and tracked to the same street as Ana Knezevich’s apartment.

According to the complaint, on April 24, Knezevich allegedly asked one of his employees to impersonate Ana Knezevich so he could open a new bank account in his name. The employee reportedly told him she felt "uncomfortable impersonating the Victim because the Victim was missing." Knezevich, however, allegedly told her it was "not serious" and she needed to do it in order for the employees to get paid.

Officials in Spain and Italy continue to search for Ana Knezevich.

For more information about the case, watch the video above. Be sure to stay up to date on this case and others by watching "True Crime News" every weekday.

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