A Florida man, David Knezevich, is facing serious charges for allegedly traveling to Spain to kidnap and murder his estranged wife, Ana Maria Knezevich. Prosecutors believe he took a long and calculated journey from Miami to Serbia and then drove over 3,200 miles to Madrid, where they say he killed Ana and got rid of her body.
Ana, 40, was last seen in Madrid, Spain, in February 2024. Investigators say she had moved there in December 2023 to escape her husband, as they were going through a difficult divorce. One of the main disputes between them was money—Ana reportedly wanted half of their shared assets, but David initially refused to give her more than 25%. Eventually, he verbally agreed to split things equally, but she insisted he put it in writing by the end of January 2024. Just a few days after that deadline, she vanished.
The couple had built up a fortune over the years through an IT business and by investing in vacation rental properties in South Florida. The government says their wealth was “certainly in the millions” and believes that David killed Ana to avoid giving her half.
Authorities say they found chilling evidence that shows David’s state of mind before the alleged crime. When FBI agents searched his home in Fort Lauderdale last May, they found a notebook where he had written down famous quotes—some of which, prosecutors say, suggest he had a “murder mindset.” One quote, attributed to Josef Stalin, read: “Death solves all problems. No man. No problem.” Another, from Winston Churchill, said: “When you have to kill a man, it costs nothing to be polite.”
There’s also suspicion around David’s brother, Ugljesa Knezevich, who is being investigated for possibly tampering with evidence. Ugljesa took a family trip over the holidays to Portugal and Spain, spending time in Seville—a city just a few hours away from Madrid, where Ana disappeared. Investigators don’t know exactly where he was on January 4 and 5, and they’re trying to find out if he helped cover up the crime.
Authorities are also searching for David’s missing laptop, and they suspect Ugljesa may have played a role in hiding or destroying evidence. When Ugljesa returned to Miami, Homeland Security agents questioned him and later seized his phone and computers, believing they could hold valuable information. At first, he told investigators he wasn’t in contact with his brother, but records show they exchanged multiple phone calls and emails after David was arrested.
Feds also say Ugljesa has been secretly sending money to David’s fellow inmates, possibly as a way for David to communicate with the outside world through unofficial channels. They also claim he erased the contents of one of David’s computers.
David’s lawyers, however, are pushing back. They argue that investigators are unfairly targeting his brother and that his devices should not be searched because he is part of the legal defense team.
David himself has denied any involvement in Ana’s disappearance. His attorney has pointed out that he cooperated with authorities in Spain, provided his credit card records, and even hired a lawyer there to help investigators access Ana’s apartment.
But Spanish authorities have gathered strong evidence linking him to the crime. Surveillance cameras showed Ana entering her Madrid apartment on February 2, 2024, at around 2:20 p.m. That was the last time she was seen alive.
Later that evening, at around 9:30 p.m., a man wearing a helmet entered the building just as some people were leaving. The security camera caught him carrying a can of spray paint, which he used to cover the camera lens. But the paint job wasn’t perfect—before the camera was fully blocked, it captured the man putting duct tape over the apartment door’s lock to keep it from closing.
According to investigators, this man looked a lot like David Knezevich. About an hour later, at 10:30 p.m., the same man was seen leaving the apartment, apparently carrying a suitcase.
Two days later, on February 4, Spanish police conducted a welfare check at Ana’s apartment but found nothing—her phone, laptop, and chargers were missing. Investigators then traced the spray paint brand back to a store in Madrid. Security footage from that store reportedly shows David himself buying the paint and two rolls of duct tape.
Adding to the suspicion, the FBI also spoke to a Colombian woman who had met David on a dating app. She told them that on February 3, the day after Ana disappeared, David asked her to translate a message from English into “perfect Colombian” Spanish. He claimed it was for a Serbian friend writing a script about a Colombian character, but investigators believe this could have been part of his cover-up.
For now, David remains behind bars, fighting the charges. His brother Ugljesa is also under heavy scrutiny, though he hasn’t been officially charged. Prosecutors are determined to prove that David planned and carried out Ana’s murder to avoid sharing his fortune. But with Ana’s body still missing, the case remains ongoing as investigators continue searching for answers.
