ZAGREB, CROATIA - Laboratory results should confirm the shocking discovery about the murder of Ivana Hodak made by the police, that the homeless man Mladen Solgar plotted revenge against the lawyer Zvonimir Hodak for 15 years. As the media writes, the DNA found on a bullet casing matches the suspect’s DNA in 60 percent of characteristics.

However, the data of the partially matching DNA, added to the coincidental arrest of a homeless man and the lucky discovery of the pistol that killed Ivana Hodak, once again raises doubts to whether Slogar is the murderer of Ivana Hodak. It is also questionable if the percentage of DNA matching is enough as evidence in court.

All analysed parts of DNA must match totally

According to the words of Gordan Lauc, a court expert with DNA, something is wrong with the media claims about the partially matching DNA. As he says, it is very easy for the DNA of a person to be found on an item that a person touched, including a bullet casing. However, says Lauc, sometimes it is possible that the amount of DNA is small or degraded, so it is possible that they will not get a full profile, only a partial one.

“I consider that the statement about 60 percent of the characteristics of DNA found on the bullet casing, that matches Slogar’s DNA, was wrongly reported on. Maybe my colleagues wanted to say that they successfully analysed 60 percent of the whole DNA profile, that totally matches the DNA of Mladen Slogar. Everything else would mean that his DNA is not in question” said Lauc. In other words, if from the 60 percent of the DNA found and analysed from the bullet casing, was only one percent different from Slogar’s, it would not be enough to be evidence in court.

“Today DNA is analysed in 15 places, or 15 various genetic loci. Of those 15 loci they gained 60 percent. What they gained, that percentage must fully match Slogar’s DNA. If it does not match, it is not the same person. Meaning, all parts of the analysis must match in order to determine that the DNA found at the crime scene is that of the perpetrator” said the court expert for DNA analysis, who opened the first private forensic DNA analysis in this part of Europe.

Slogar’s DNA on the bullet casing is not undisputable evidence that he killed Ivana Hodak

Remember, exactly four months after the murder of Ivana Hodak, which occurred on October 6, 2008, the police reported that they found the murderer. By chance the police asked the 61 year old Mladen Slogar for identification, and a later searched the place where he slept in the suburb of Zapresic, and found the pistol that Ivana Hodak was murdered with. Slogar met Ivana Hodak at the Mladost tennis courts where he worked.

After he was fired, he hoped that Zvonimir Hodak would help him get employment. However, that did not happen, and Slogar became homeless after he sold his apartment. He then started thinking about revenge. He bought the pistol from an unknown person for 700 deutsche marks, even though a military person is speculated to be the seller.

Conspiracy theories appeared in the public after the link between the murders of Ivana Hodak and the president of the NCL Group Ivo Pukanic were created, because as was presented to the public, Slogar planned revenge for 15 years. Now, it would not be a surprise to find out that the DNA information was planted.