A Queensland coroner has found that Gold Coast influencer Ivona Jovanovic was fatally shot by her former partner, Christos Panagakos, in what has been ruled an accidental shooting at his Highland Park home in 2019.
The ABC and other outlets reported on the inquest into the 27-year-old’s death, held last year, which concluded with Coroner Don MacKenzie determining that a firearm inside a bag Panagakos was carrying discharged when he tripped, fatally wounding Jovanovic in the chest. She was rushed to hospital but died shortly after.
The tragic incident occurred as Ivona Jovanovic was preparing to go out to dinner with Panagakos—who she had previously dated—and some of his friends. However, shortly after the shooting, all men present at the scene fled, and the weapon used was also removed and has never been recovered.
Coroner MacKenzie found Panagakos responsible for the death, but ruled it accidental. The ruling contradicts early suspicions surrounding the case, which initially saw Panagakos charged with murder.
Those charges were later dropped after prosecutors determined there was insufficient evidence to support an involuntary manslaughter conviction.
The most credible evidence presented during the inquest came from a signed police statement by a friend who was present on the night. “This is the most cogent and reliable body of evidence heard in the inquest,” said MacKenzie.
Panagakos’s mother was described by the coroner as “not a witness of credit”, noting her “reprehensible” attempts to shift blame onto Ms Jovanovic by suggesting she had brought the handgun herself.
Panagakos—alleged to have bikie-related criminal associations—told the court his memory of the night was “blurry” and denied ever admitting to the shooting. His version of events was dismissed by the court.
Ivona Jovanovic’s death has left her family devastated an said they remember her as a “kind, joyful, and compassionate young woman whose life was cut tragically short”.
The disappearance of the firearm remains a troubling and unresolved aspect of the case.
