Who were Vanja Gjorchevska and Panche Zhezhovski?
Vanja Gjorchevska was a 14-year-old student from Skopje. Her disappearance on the morning of 27 November 2023 prompted an intensive search and widespread public concern. Panche Zhezhovski was a 74-year-old man from Veles whose disappearance had been reported several days earlier.
The two victims were not connected socially. The prosecution's case joined their deaths because the defendants took Zhezhovski's Citroën after killing him and later used that vehicle in the plan to abduct Vanja. Keeping the victims at the centre of the account avoids reducing them to evidence in a case that shocked North Macedonia.
What happened in November 2023?
According to the indictments later filed by North Macedonia's Public Prosecutor's Office, Zhezhovski was seized in Veles on 22 November and killed outside the city. Prosecutors alleged that his vehicle was taken to facilitate another crime. Five days later, Vanja was taken near her home in Skopje as she left for school.
The prosecution said the group intended to pressure Vanja's mother for money and that the child was killed after the plan was disrupted. Those details were allegations until tested at trial. The decisive legal findings came from the Criminal Court's 2025 judgment, not from early media speculation or statements made during the search.
Police located both victims' bodies on 3 December 2023, one near Skopje and the other near Veles. This archive omits unnecessary descriptions of the manner in which they were found. The relevant facts are the two victims' identities, the linked investigation and the outcomes established in court.
How did investigators connect the crimes?
The stolen Citroën was the central link. Investigators traced the vehicle from Zhezhovski's disappearance to the abduction in Skopje. The prosecution said the vehicle was later set on fire, and the investigation assembled witness accounts, communications and location evidence around the accused.
Several suspects were arrested in North Macedonia. Ljupcho Palevski, whom prosecutors described as the organizer, had left the country and was arrested in Türkiye. He was extradited to North Macedonia in May 2024. The Public Prosecutor filed an initial indictment against four defendants on 31 May 2024 and a separate indictment against Palevski on 12 August; the cases were then joined for trial.
What were the charges?
Palevski, Manev, Videvski and Keshishev were charged with kidnapping and two murders. Prosecutors accused them of participating in the linked plan that began with Zhezhovski's abduction and vehicle theft and continued with Vanja's abduction. Because indictments state the prosecution's theory rather than a final judgment, this page attributes their detailed narrative to prosecutors.
Aleksandar Gjorchevski, Vanja's father, was tried on an allegation that he assisted the kidnapping by providing information about her movements. He denied the charge. His case is an important reminder that being accused or tried does not establish guilt.
The 2025 trial and verdicts
The trial took place before the Basic Criminal Court in Skopje. On 25 June 2025, the court found Palevski, Manev, Videvski and Keshishev guilty. Each received a life sentence for the murders and a ten-year sentence for kidnapping, with the sentences running concurrently under the court's judgment.
The court acquitted Aleksandar Gjorchevski. Reporting from the verdict states that the prosecution had not proved his alleged assistance beyond a reasonable doubt. This acquittal is not a footnote: it is a distinct legal outcome and must not be overwritten by association with the other defendants.
The verdict converted the prosecution's allegations against the four convicted men into judicial findings at first instance. It did not validate every rumour that circulated while Vanja was missing, and it did not create criminal responsibility for the acquitted defendant.
The 2026 appellate decision
On 15 July 2026, the Skopje Appellate Court announced that it had rejected the appeals and upheld the four life sentences. The appellate ruling left the convictions and the principal punishments in place.
That later decision matters to the classification of this page. An arrest alone would not make the case solved, and a first-instance judgment under appeal would require qualification. With convictions affirmed on appeal, the most accurate short label is solved — four life sentences upheld on appeal, while separately recording the acquittal.
Rumour, allegation and judicial fact
The case generated intense coverage while the investigation was developing. Early accounts sometimes combined police statements, prosecution allegations and anonymous claims. This archive uses a narrower evidence hierarchy: official indictments establish what prosecutors alleged; the trial judgment establishes the first-instance findings; and the appellate ruling establishes that those convictions and sentences were upheld.
This method avoids presenting motive, participation or evidentiary details as settled before the court addressed them. It also avoids implying guilt for Aleksandar Gjorchevski after his acquittal. Precise attribution is especially important where a child's murder, family relationships and rapidly changing information created a high risk of harmful speculation.
How this archive classifies the case
Status: solved — convictions upheld on appeal. Four defendants were convicted of the linked kidnappings and murders, sentenced to life imprisonment, and unsuccessful on appeal. The classification is based on those court outcomes.
Separate outcome: Aleksandar Gjorchevski was acquitted because the court found the charge against him unproved beyond a reasonable doubt. The solved label applies to the adjudicated murders; it does not convert an acquittal into suspicion or guilt.
Timeline
- 22 November 2023
Panche Zhezhovski disappears from Veles and is killed; prosecutors later say his vehicle was taken. - 27 November 2023
Vanja Gjorchevska is abducted near her home in Skopje and killed. - 3 December 2023
Authorities locate both victims' bodies near Skopje and Veles. - May 2024
Ljupcho Palevski is extradited from Türkiye to North Macedonia. - 31 May and 12 August 2024
Prosecutors file the indictments that are later joined for trial. - 25 June 2025
Four defendants receive life sentences; Aleksandar Gjorchevski is acquitted. - 15 July 2026
The Skopje Appellate Court upholds the four life sentences.
Frequently asked questions
Who were the victims in the North Macedonia double-murder case?
The victims were Vanja Gjorchevska, a 14-year-old student from Skopje, and Panche Zhezhovski, a 74-year-old man from Veles.
How were the two crimes connected?
Prosecutors said the defendants took Zhezhovski's Citroën after killing him and used the vehicle during Vanja's abduction five days later.
Who was convicted?
Ljupcho Palevski, Velibor Manev, Bore Videvski and Vlatko Keshishev were convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment.
Was Vanja's father convicted?
No. Aleksandar Gjorchevski was acquitted after the court found that the allegation against him had not been proved beyond a reasonable doubt.
Were the life sentences appealed?
Yes. On 15 July 2026, the Skopje Appellate Court upheld the four life sentences.
Why does the archive call the case solved?
Four defendants were convicted of the linked kidnappings and murders, received life sentences, and had those sentences upheld on appeal. The separate acquittal is also recorded.
Sources and verification
Public Prosecutor's Office of North Macedonia — initial indictment, 31 May 2024
Public Prosecutor's Office of North Macedonia — indictment of Ljupcho Palevski, 12 August 2024
Media Information Agency (MIA) — verdict report, 25 June 2025
Media Information Agency (MIA) — appellate decision, 15 July 2026
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty — investigation context, 5 December 2023
Editorial note: Key dates and procedural outcomes were cross-checked against prosecution records and independent reporting. Allegations are identified as allegations; convictions, sentences and the acquittal are reported as judicial outcomes. Source review completed 22 October 2026.