The Sibenik County Court has extended detention by 60 days for 43-year-old truck driver Dragan Paravinja, suspected of the murder and attempted rape of 17-year-old Antonia Bilic and the attempted rape of a 25-year-old hitchhiker.
The court ruled that Paravinja should remain in custody because he is a flight risk and could repeat the offence and because of the gravity of the crimes committed.
Paravinja's court-appointed defence attorney Branko Baica said that he would probably not appeal against the latest ruling.
The attorney could not say when the trial of his client could start, noting that this would depend on whether Paravinja would object to the indictment against him. The deadline for the submission of objections is eight days and Baica and his client will decide on the matter after studying the indictment.
The Sibenik County Prosecutor's Office has indicted Paravinja for murder and two attempted rapes.
The murder and one attempted rape charges refer to Antonia Bilic, a teenager from the Drnis area who disappeared on June 7 after entering Paravinja's truck. She was hitchhiking.
The indictment contends that Paravinja, driving to Split, tried to rape Bilic and that failing in his attempt, he killed her and dumped the body into the Krka river.
Paravinja is also accused of attempting to rape a hitchhiker in the Omis area on 28 June 2010. In the indictment, the prosecutor recommended remanding Paravinja in custody.
Paravinja has been detained at Sibenik's prison since July 22 this year. He was arrested in Bosnia and Herzegovina, where he confessed to the Bilic murder but later denied this before a Sibenik County Court judge.
The Croatian police launched the biggest search operation in the country's history looking for Bilic but she remains unaccounted for.
