A college basketball player from Serbia is accepting a plea deal today that will get him a little over two years in prison in Serbia for beating a young man from Brooklyn into a coma in 2008. Miladin Kovacevic is accused of inflicting severe bodily harm with possible deadly consequences on Bryan Steinhauer of Brooklyn, during a barroom brawl near Binghamton University. The trial is happening in Serbia, where defendant Miladin Kovacevic lives, because he fled the United States—with the help of Serbian diplomats—shortly after the incident. Steinhauer's family is outraged over the plea deal. more ›

Over two years after a brutal beating left a Binghamton University student in a coma, his alleged attacker is going on trial. But while the attack took place near the school, the trial is happening in Serbia, where defendant Miladin Kovacevic lives, because he fled the United States—with the help of the Serbian consul—shortly after the incident. And things got off to a bang, literally: The Daily News reports that a Belgrade police officer accidentally fired his gun at a security checkpoint in the courthouse. more ›

In Serbia, prosecutors have finally caught up with and charged the former Binghamton basketball player accused of beating a fellow student into a coma. In 2008 Miladin Kovacevic jumped bail and fled for his home country after getting into a fight with Brian Steinhauer at an upstate bar. The towering 23-year-old is accused of kicking the student, causing skull fractures and severe brain damage. more ›

Two men have been sentenced to two years in prison each for participating in a brutal beating that left a Binghamton University student in a coma and damaged relations between the United States and Serbia. Edin Dzubar, 25, and Sanel Softic, 22, apologized and pleaded guilty to felony assault for kicking Bryan Steinhauer during a Binghamton bar in May 2008 that left the Brooklyn-native in a coma for months, according to the Post. Their sentencing comes after the alleged primary assailant, 23-year-old basketball player Miladin Kovacevic, fled to Serbia to avoid trial in the United States. The Serbian government paid the victim's family $900,000 in a deal to prosecute Kovacevic in his home country. more ›

If there is any way to garner more sympathy and further prove yourself an unfair victim for the monstrous college athlete who put you into a coma after a bar fight eleven months ago, it's ending your first press conference by tossing up the Vulcan salute. Today was the first public appearance by Bryan Steinhauer, the 22-year-old Brooklyn native who was brutally beaten by his Binghamton classmate Miladin Kovacevic, the Serbian basketball player nearly twice his size. The Daily News describes his words as "emerging slowly and heavily slurred," as seen in the video below from MyFoxNY. more ›

With the prospects of bringing Serbian basketball player Miladin Kovacevic to justice in the US looking slimmer and slimmer, Secretary of State Clinton appears to be the force behind a deal where the Serbian government will pay out $900,000 to the family of Bryan Steinhauer, the man Kovacevic is accused of beating within an inch of his life. Serbia is also said to be paying another $100,000 to cover Kovacevic's bail, left over since he fled the US after being charged in the Binghamton brawl that left Steinhauer in a coma last spring. The Post says that Clinton kept the pressure on US ambassador to Serbia, Cameron Munter to hammer out a deal in one of her first acts at her new cabinet post. As New York's Senator, Clinton had previously led efforts to go after Kovacevic. Serbian papers were outraged with news of the payout with one saying, "Kovacevic appears to be more important to Serbia than the country's own impoverished citizens." A spokesman for the US State Department insists that the settlement doesn't the end of the case saying, "Serbian officials have assured us that they will continue to pursue this case vigorously...to return Kovacevic to face justice in New York." more ›

The clock is ticking on the arduous journey of bringing fled Serbian Miladin Kovacevic to justice for the alleged brutal beating of fellow Binghamton student Bryan Steinhauer last year. Serbian officials claim that Brooklyn-born Steinhauer must testify this Thursday or else Kovacevic may walk free. The Serbian athlete's lawyer told the Post, "If there is no examination of witnesses, how can there be a case?" But Steinhauer's lawyer says that he received no notice of the January 15th deadline. With reports of Steinhauer's failing health including brain damage, the Post questions whether the 22-year-old would even be up for testifying via video link. As for Kovacevic, after being let out of prison recently, he has defended himself to the Serbian press as the real victim claiming, the 5'6", 135-pound Steinhauer "was very aggressive. He kept thumping his chest and saying, 'You don't know who I am!' At one point, I managed to free myself from him." Kovacevic, 6'9" and 260 pounds also brags he was a model student, "I was one of a handful of foreigners who helped American children with special needs." more ›

After being detained for almost two months, Milan Kovacevic was released from prison in his native Serbia as the investigation continues on charges that Kovacevic brutally beat fellow Binghamton University student Bryan Steinhauer of Brooklyn earlier this year. With still no plans to extradite Kovacevic despite pleas from Senators Schumer and Clinton to have him tried in the US, Serbian officials said that Kovacevic is not a flight risk while in his home country. The international affair initially broke out last spring when the former Binghamton basketball player fled the US following the incident with Steinhauer. “I am a citizen of Serbia and I will always respond to any calls by the authorities,” Kovacevic said yesterday. There has been no word on the progress of the investigation since Steinhauer and others were invited to testify via video link. more ›

The case of Miladin Kovacevic does not appear to be heading toward the ultimate payoff many had hoped for--seeing him tried and sentenced here in the US. Kovacevic is the Serbian basketball player who was detained in his home country this week after what has been an incredibly drawn out six months of Americans attempting to bring him to justice after his brutal beating of a fellow SUNY Binghamton student. A Serbian judge has said that Kovacevic will be detained for at least 30 days there while they decide what, if any, charges will be made against him. But their interior minister says that doesn't mean that Serbian officials are willing to bend on the country's strict no-extraditing policy. The Steinhauers released a statement earlier this week acknowledging that “justice is taking its course,” but would not comment on Bryan Steinhauer’s condition. more ›

The AP reports that Miladin Kovacevic has been arrested in Belgrade today. Kovacevic was involved in a beating at Binghamton University that left a fellow student brutally beaten. Though charged, Kovacevic managed to flee U.S. with the help of the Serbian vice consul gneral, who posted his $100,000 cash bail and provided an emergency passport. Which then caused tense relations between the U.S. and Serbia, as the victim, Brooklyn resident Bryan Steinhauer, remained in a coma and Kovacevic made plans to join a Serbian basketball club. Kovacevic, who has maintained his innocence, had explained his escape, "My client told me that he did not flee to hide from justice, but because he doesn't believe in the American justice system." It's unclear what charges he'd being held on; the former vice consul has also been arrested. more ›

Senator Hillary Clinton will not give up in her attempts to bring Miladin Kovacevic back to the US in order to face due process. Kovacevic fled the country after being accused of beating Brooklyn's Bryan Steinhauer within an inch of his life this past spring. Since there has not been a great deal of cooperation from Serbian officials in extraditing Kovacevic, Hillary is now trying to pull at the purse strings of the Serbian basketball league he has signed to play with. The senator sent a letter yesterday to sneaker company AND1 and several other corporate backers encouraging them to pull their sponsorship from the league. While Serbian justice officials are still saying that there is not enough evidence to force Kovacevic back to the States, last week the diplomat who falsified a passport in order to allow him to leave the US was sentenced to a month in jail. more ›

Miladin Kovacevic, the 6-foot-9-inch brute who has caused an international incident by fleeing back to Serbia to duck charges of beating a Brooklyn college student within an inch of his life, was seen out in public for the first time yesterday working out with his new Serbian basketball squad. When asked about the newest player on his semi-pro squad, his coach Bojan Markovic said, "It's his business. I don't get involved...We hope he will help us improve our scores." Both Senators Clinton and Schumer have been trying to pressure Serbia into extraditing Kovacevic back to the US, but Serbian officials say it is against their nation's constitution. Foreign Minister Vuk Jeremic said that Serbia would like to see him return, but that "His decision...is that he does not want to do that." more ›

Still angry that a student accused of attacking a fellow student at Binghamton University is avoiding U.S. authorities by staying in Serbia, Senator Charles Schumer said the U.S. should withhold $50 million in aid to the county. However if Serbia turns over Miladin Kovacevic (pictured), it is welcome to the money. more ›

While U.S. officials are hoping the Serbian government will turn over 21-year-old Miladin Kovacevic, who fled the U.S. after allegedly beating a fellow Binghamton University student, his mother took time to tell the Post he's in bad shape. Emotional shape, that is. Kovacevic's mother, who is a psychiatrist, said, "He is depressed about the unfair treatment. He is depressed about the media coverage, the Interpol warrant, the comments about him on the Internet, the fact that authorities are continually changing the charges on him in America." Another thing to be sad about: Steinhauer, who is slowly emerging from a coma (he's been in one since May). more ›

According to the Daily News, U.S. diplomatic officials have asked the Serbian government for the return of Miladin Kovacevic by August 1. The 21-year-old is accused of beating a fellow Binghamton University student, Brooklyn resident Bryan Steinhauer, into a coma in May. Though Kovacevic was in custody, the Serbian vice consul general helped him make bail and gave him an emergency passport to flee the country. While the Serbian government has claimed it would work with the U.S. on the matter, Kovacevic has said he will not return to the U.S. and signed a contract to play basketball for a local team in Serbia. more ›

Miladin Kovacevic, who is wanted by U.S. authorities after being charged with beating a fellow Binghamton University student into a coma, has signed a contract with a Serbian basketball club. Kovacevic, who attended Binghamton on a basketball scholarship, will play for KK Vrbas which is in a regional Serbian league, according to the AP. The team's captain said the team "is on his side," presumably meaning they support his decision to flee the authorities and refusal to face charges in the U.S. It's unclear what U.S. officials will do next, as they have already spoken to the Serbian government and Kovacevic's parents. The beating victim, Bryan Steinhauer, is still in critical condition. more ›

Miladin Kovacevic, who was charged with beating a fellow Binghamton University student into a coma, told a Serbian paper he won't return to America, "I know I am not guilty and I will prove that in front of a Serbian judge. I don't believe in the American legal system anymore." Kovacevic had fled the U.S. with the help of the Serbian consulate; U.S. officials have asked Serbia to return Kovacevic for prosecution here. The 21-year-old went on to say, "I'm sincerely worried about the security of my younger sister and of my family. Please understand that I can't tell you more for good reasons. I admit I'm in shock and I'm even afraid of the things I cannot see." more ›

The U.S. Embassy in Serbia issued a statement saying officials had met with the parents of Miladin Kovacevic, the Serbian national charged with beating a Brooklyn man in upstate NY. Per the AP, the statement read, "The United States has not formally requested extradition at this time. We sincerely believe that it is in the best interests of Mr. Kovacevic to return voluntarily to the U.S., rather than to remain a fugitive. The meeting was constructive and the Kovacevic family and counsel were receptive to the points raised in the discussion." To reporters, Kovacevic's parents denied their son was involved in the attack and said he was "depressed." more ›

A lawyer for Miladin Kovacevic says that the 6'9" 260 lb. basketball player doesn't trust the U.S. legal system and was taunted and tortured by inmates and guards after he was arrested for allegedly beating a 135 lb. college senior into a coma in Binghamton last month. Veselin Cerovic explained that's why Kovacevic jumped bail and fled the country with an emergency passport issued by the Serbian consulate in New York, "My client told me that he did not flee to hide from justice, but because he doesn't believe in the American justice system." more ›

As the Serbian government tries to demonstrate it is serious about cooperating with the U.S. government in finding a Serbian citizen accused of beating another man into a coma in Binghamton, outgoing Serbian officials fired the head of the consulate. more ›

Yesterday, the federal government formally asked the Serbia to extradite Miladin Kovacevic, who is charged with beating a fellow Binghamton University student into a coma. The U.S. ambassador met with Serbian officials in Belgrade, and now the Serbian government is "moving with laser beam speed," a Daily News source says. more ›

After outrage and questions about how the Serbian Consulate apparently helped a suspect in an upstate NY beating flee the country, Senator Charles Schumer now thinks the Serbian government will cooperate, telling reporters, "The new [Serbian] government has a different outlook in terms of the United States and the West. The old government was hostile. The new government wants to be very friendly and be part of the West." In other words, having the vice consul pay the $100,000 cash bail for Miladin Kovacevic and providing an emergency passport to the suspect isn't very friendly. Kovacevic is accused of brutally beating Brooklyn resident Bryan Steinhauer at a bar in Binghamton; Steinhauer has been in a coma for over a month. more ›

Over the past week, American officials have questioned why a Serbian student at Binghamton University was allowed to flee the country while he was charged with beating another student into a coma. Today, the Serbian Consul General Slobodan Nenedovic tells the Post, "I will think about resigning, absolutely." more ›