Pretrial hearings in the case of former Binghamton University student Miladin “Minja” Kovacevic, who is accused of beating a fellow student into a coma, are set to begin in December, a Serbian court said last week.
A statement released by a Belgrade district court said that witnesses to the beating of Bryan Steinhauer, a now 23-year-old BU alumnus, will testify from the U.S. on Dec. 1 via a video link over the Internet.
Miladin “Minja” Kovacevic, a 23-year-old former BU men’s basketball player, was accused of repeatedly kicking Steinhauer in the head and chest at the Rathskeller Pub on 92 State St. on May 4, 2008. Steinhauer was left in critical condition and placed in a medically induced coma, which lasted months because of a fractured skull and severe swelling in his brain.
Witnesses told police that Steinhauer was in an argument with Kovacevic after he danced with the girlfriend of one of Kovacevic’s friends.
Kovacevic, at 260 pounds — double the weight of the 130-pound Steinhauer — was taken into custody by Binghamton police. He paid his $100,000 bail and fled to his home country with the help of a Serbian diplomat.
Because there is no extradition treaty between the U.S. and Serbia, Kovacevic was able to remain in his native country of Serbia, despite protests from Sen. Charles Schumer and then-Sen. and current Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton.
According to Broome County District Attorney Gerald Mollen, the case is now in the hands of both the Serbian government and federal prosecutors of the U.S. International office of legal affairs.
“We [Broome County Attorney’s Office] had agreed to cooperate in the Serbian prosecution, so we have provided all the contact information and acted as an intermediary between the Serbian authorities and witnesses in the U.S.,” Mollen said.
In addition to facing charges in Serbia, Kovacevic could still be arrested for assault if he were to ever return to America, and faces significantly less jail time in Serbia than he would in the U.S.
“He [Kovacevic] could face up to 25 years in prison in the U.S.,” Mollen said. “He’s facing a less severe maximum in Serbia, but he could end up serving as much as nine years in Serbian prison if convicted and sentenced at maximum.”
Last April, Steinhauer made a partial recovery. He was able to hold a press conference at Mount Sinai Medical Center despite being speech-impaired at the time.
The Steinhauer family received $900,000 from the Serbian government this past March for medical expenses, in recognition of the government’s part in Kovacevic’s flight and as part of a deal to insure he would be prosecuted in Serbia.
Last month, two others charged in the assault pleaded guilty to felony assault. Edin Dzubur and Sanel Softic, Johnson City residents and native Bosnians, face sentencing in January for up to two years in a New York state prison.
Former BU Bearcats coach Al Walker recruited Kovacevic for the 2006-07 basketball season. He was dismissed after one year by then-head coach Kevin Broadus.
According to BU spokeswoman Gail Glover, the University has no connection to the pre-trial hearings in Serbia.
“Our thoughts and hopes continue to be with Bryan, his family and friends,” Glover said.
Since returning to Serbia, Kovacevic has continued to play basketball with a local team and has advocated an anti-Western political party.
At the end of March 2008, the Steinhauer family filed a lawsuit against two Binghamton bars, the Rathskeller and Dillingers Celtic Pub & Eatery, for damages. They claimed the bars served alcohol to Steinhauer’s underage attackers.
Calls seeking comment from the Steinhauer family Monday afternoon were not returned.
— Information from the Associated Press was used in this report.