The Basic Court in Prishtina has announced the verdict for the murder of Liridona Ademaj, sentencing the deceased's husband, Naim Murseli, to life imprisonment. Granit Plava was also sentenced to life imprisonment, while Kushtrim Kokalla was sentenced to 30 years in prison.
On the evening of November 29, 2023, Liridona Ademaj was killed on a road in the village of Bërnicë in Prishtina, while she was in the car with her husband Naim Murseli and their two children. Murseli was found guilty of planning her murder with the intention of benefiting from her life insurance in Sweden, worth about 260,000 euros.
Kokalla is accused of introducing Murseli to Granit Plava, who is accused of being the perpetrator of the murder. Plava is accused of killing Ademaj with a firearm, shooting her in the head, according to the forensic expert, from a distance of 2 to 5 centimeters. According to the Prosecution, he committed the murder in exchange for 30,000 euros from Murseli.
During the trial, Kokalla stated that the agreement with Murseli to take responsibility for the murder was for 250,000 euros, but to avoid mentioning large sums, they had agreed to mention only 30,000 euros in the Police. Meanwhile, the prosecutor of the case, Javorka Përlinçeviç, stated during the judicial hearing that Murseli had held his wife by the arm so that she would not escape the bullet.
"...Naimi, cunningly, with his right hand, held Liridona by her left arm, with the aim of preventing her from dodging the bullet, after which, Naimi, with the children, got out of the vehicle and left the scene of the incident," said the prosecutor at the start of the judicial process on January 31, 2025.
The pistol used to commit the murder was allegedly bought by Murseli from Tom Dodaj for 280 euros on the day of the tragic event. The latter admitted guilt at the beginning of the judicial process, and in February 2025, he was sentenced to five years in prison and a fine of five thousand euros for the criminal offense of "Unauthorized import, export, supply, transportation, production, exchange, intermediation, or sale of weapons or explosive materials."
After about a year, the Court of Appeal reduced Dodaj's sentence to three years in prison and a fine of 3,000 euros, citing factors such as the admission of guilt, an apology to the victim's family, and the fact that "he was not aware of what the weapon he sold would be used for."