HISTORIC CRIME
SHE WAS SHOT BY A HIT MAN HIRED BY HER FORMER MOTHER-IN-LAW
The whirlwind romance between Alexandra and Joe Pesic began in 1988, when they met for the first time at his parents’ garage in Vancouver. They were both children of Yugoslavian immigrants and though Joe was seven years older than 20-year-old Alexandra, there was an immediate spark between them, and they began dating. Just a month later, he proposed, and Alexandra said yes, but what should have been a euphoric time rapidly became a nightmare, as Joe’s mother Jelka cast a sinister shadow over the wedding arrangements.
There were repeated arguments between Alexandra and her future mother-in-law about every detail of the impending nuptials. Jelka’s domineering behaviour became so oppressive that Alexandra warned Joe she would postpone the wedding unless he told his mother to step back.
The ultimatum worked for a while, but Jelka soon reverted to type.
When the newlyweds were on their honeymoon, she let herself into the apartment they had recently rented, rearranging the furniture and changing their soft furnishings.
TAKING OVER
Jelka’s meddling continued as the couple tried to adjust to married life.
She regularly visited the apartment when Alexandra and Joe were at work, and the crisis point came when she removed half the clothes from Alexandra’s wardrobe, replacing them with dresses she had chosen. When challenged, she coldly replied she knew what suited her daughter-in-law best.
Cracks in the marriage inevitably appeared as Alexandra grew increasingly frustrated with Joe’s reluctance to challenge his mother, and towards the end of 1989, she left him. A week later, however, she realised she was pregnant and when Joe pleaded with her to come back, she agreed in the hope of giving her son, who they named Brandon, a stable family life.
In an apparent attempt to repair the damage she had caused, Jelka and her husband Sam gave the couple $85,000 to use as a deposit on a house. Alexandra warily accepted, but her underlying fears were quickly realised when it came to decorating the new property.
Alexandra wanted red tiles in the kitchen, a choice that drew a furious reaction from Jelka and a barked order that Alexandra was not to make any decisions about the house without first consulting her.
When Brandon was six months old, Alexandra and Joe organised a date night. Joe asked Jelka to babysit and although this made Alexandra angry, she reluctantly agreed. The couple headed to their favourite restaurant, but when they returned home and Alexandra went to check on Brandon, her baby was barely breathing. She picked him up and tried to wake him, but there was still no reaction.
Alexandra and Joe Pesic
Despite Alexand
