wfgodot
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This was a huge story, both in the UK and internationally, in 1999 - Jill Dando (Wiki), a journalist, television presenter and newsreader for 14 years employed by BBC, was shot dead on her doorstep, aged 37. Subsequently, a neighborhood "character" was arrested for, charged with, and convicted of her murder - for many, based on the facts of what happened, that just didn't seen likely. Indeed, he was granted a retrial and found not guilty after serving eight years. The 'Yugoslav connection" theory - more of it can be read at the Jill Dando Wiki link above - is back in the news, and it seems quite plausible. An interesting story for those who believe that assassinations are not entirely the province of "lone nuts." An interesting look below at what makes sense about the Serbian hitman theory:
Jill Dando 'murdered by Serbian hitman' (Telegraph)
The story from the Mirror, the basis for several UK news reports this weekend about the Dando crime:
'This wasn't the work of a loner, this was a professional hit': Lawyer backs Jill Dando assassination claim
Daily Mail has a go at it, written by Dando's agent:
Why I believe Jill Dando was killed by a Serbian hitman,
with an interesting sidebar about the man originally charged with and convicted of the crime:
Jill Dando 'murdered by Serbian hitman' (Telegraph)
the rest at Telegraph link aboveThe widow of a Serbian journalist, murdered in almost identical circumstances, has come forward to say she is convinced Miss Dando was shot by a hitman acting on orders from the Serbian dictator Slobodan Milosevic.
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Mrs Prpa was with her husband, Slavko Curuvija when he was shot dead outside their home in Belgrade on April 11, 1999 – just 15 days before Miss Dando, 37, was killed in Fulham, west London.
She said: “I think there is a link between Dando and Curuvija. I think they were both executed.”
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Both victims were high profile journalists who had upset the Serbian regime. Both were returning home when they were approached from behind, forced to the ground and shot in the head at close range.
Furthermore, both killings bore the hallmark of professional assassinations, with both victims dying instantly and the shootings over in a matter of seconds.
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The story from the Mirror, the basis for several UK news reports this weekend about the Dando crime:
'This wasn't the work of a loner, this was a professional hit': Lawyer backs Jill Dando assassination claim
Daily Mail has a go at it, written by Dando's agent:
Why I believe Jill Dando was killed by a Serbian hitman,
with an interesting sidebar about the man originally charged with and convicted of the crime:
And thus, here's WS's first Jill Dando thread - interesting stuff. A search showed mention of her name on five of the Joanna Yeates threads from 2011 - another UK killing of an attractive blonde which for awhile had many theories in play (and also included the initial arrest of a man later released from custody in the killing).---
The police, however, had other theories and, in time, they turned their attention to Barry George, a local loner with an IQ of 75 who had previously exhibited an unhealthy interest in celebrities, including Jill.
It’s entirely understandable that he might be a suspect yet, from the moment he was arrested, I felt uneasy. Could a man of such limited intelligence have carried out a clinical execution and never have mentioned it to a soul?
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A year after he was charged and after several delays to the beginning of his trial, a jury convicted him of her murder at the Old Bailey in July 2001.
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His barrister, William Clegg QC, said a microscopic speck of firearms residue found in the pocket-lining of George's coat had been found 'inconclusive' as evidence.George was sensationally acquitted of Ms Dando's murder after an Old Bailey retrial in 2008.
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