Ljube Velevski, the man who slashed the throats of his wife and three children in their Berkeley home, chose not to apply for parole when he had his chance this month.
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The matter was listed for Friday however a Corrective Services spokeswoman said “the offender did not seek parole consideration”.
Velevski’s case is next scheduled to be considered by the Parole Authority in May 2019.
A month before Velevski’s 19-year minimum jail was set to expire in 2016, the Serious Offenders Review Council decided “that release on parole was not appropriate’’.
“The State Parole Authority formed an intention to refuse parole to the offender,’’ a Corrective Services spokeswoman said at the time.
“The authority determined that the offender needed to address his offending behaviour of violence, participate in external leave programs and there was a need for structured post release plans and accommodation.’’
Snezana Velevski, 25, was found face down on the floor on June 20, 1994. Beneath her was the slaughtered bodies of Zaklina, 6 and twin babies Daniela and Dijana.
Their throats had been slashed and a knife stashed under the bed. Scientific police searched the Castle Court home, dismantling fixtures and removing furniture in a bid to shed light on the killings.
Neighbours told journalists back then the Velevskis were a friendly family, who mainly kept to themselves. The woman next door said the frantic husband knocked on her door when he could not find his family. Her husband called police, who broke into the bedroom and discovered the four bodies.
Velevski’s version was that his wife must have killed the children before taking her own life.
But a coroner found Mrs Velevski could not have cut her own throat so cleanly. There were no signs of a struggle, leading investigators to believe she must have known her killer.
And so began the prosecution of Ljube Velevski. On November 26, 1997 he was sentenced to 25 years in jail with a non parole period of 19 years on four counts of murder.
Velevski was still protesting his innocence years later, taking his appeal to the High Court. He said he’d argued with his wife, who had retreated to their bedroom with the children.
His maximum term expires July 14, 2022.
