Shock, tears as ‘calculated’ neighbour killer jailed for eight years

The family and friends of a beloved elderly woman, Lolene Whitehand, have sobbed as her remorseless and “calculated” killer was handed an eight-year jail term.

Milena Bogojevska, 51, remained stoic throughout her sentencing in the Victorian Supreme Court on Thursday as she was handed the eight-year sentence with a non-parole period of six years.

Bogojevska struck a deal with prosecutors to plead guilty to the manslaughter of Whitehand, an 85-year-old who lived two doors down.

Bogojevska suffocated her elderly neighbour by shoving a tea towel into her mouth after the victim was seen walking into the yard of the killer’s Footscray home on July 12, 2024.

Justice Jacinta Forbes described the killer’s conduct after her death as “opportunistic, calculated and self-serving”.

“Your continued silence around the surrounding circumstances compounds the grief of those around.”

A bag was tied over Whitehand’s head before the killer was seen on security footage dumping her body in the Maribyrnong River in Melbourne’s inner west.

Bogojevska joined a group of neighbours discussing Whitehand’s disappearance the day her body was found, telling them she had not seen the woman for a week.

It was a lie. She had also ransacked Whitehand’s home, stealing cash, jewellery, debit cards and IDs before splurging the money on lottery tickets, vouchers and ordering nearly $4000 worth of shoes and iPads.

Bogojevska told police she was not a killer when she was arrested four days later.

As detectives searched her home, couriers turned up to deliver the online orders linked to Whitehead’s card.

Bogojevska was initially charged with murder, but prosecutors later accepted her plea to manslaughter.

Whitehand’s son Gary O’Brien died in June. In a prepared statement, he told the court he missed his mother’s voice and could no longer bear to look at the Maribyrnong River.

While conceding Bogojevska had shown no remorse, the defence said prison would be more difficult because of her health issues, also referencing her difficult upbringing and experiencing abuse.