DEYAN PERISIC -10 yo-(2010) (from Montreal CA) - Houston TX

Questions are being raised after a 54-year-old man involved in a child custody dispute was charged with murder in the shootings of his two children in Texas, one of them fatal.

Predrag Perisic, who was supposed to return the children to their mother in Montreal, had previously had been charged with interfering with child custody in Harris County, Texas.Police said they were climbing to the second floor of his home north of Houston when they heard gunshots, according to a statement from the sheriff's office. Inside they found Perisic and his two wounded children.

The 10-year-old-boy named Deyan was pronounced dead at a nearby hospital. His 12-year-old sister, Danyel, was airlifted to Memorial Hermann Hospital in Houston, where she was listed in stable condition Tuesday. The children were reported missing in late October.According to a child custody complaint filed last month, the man failed to return the children to his estranged wife as ordered by the Quebec Superior Court.Pina Arcamone of the Missing Children's network said parents involved in custody battles can sometimes take extreme measures. "Too often we hear parental abductions being trivialized, and a lot of people automatically assume they are safe," she said. "We can't afford to do that."Family members say there were many episodes of verbal and physical violence between the mother and father. The mother of the children, Vera Vucerakovich, chose to come back to Montreal with her kids after trying to reconcile and live with the father in Texas in the summer of 2009. They returned to the city last January.It was at that time that the father in Texas applied to have his kids returned to him and have a custody hearing in Texas.Perisic remains in San Jacinto County Jail in Coldspring, Texas, without bond under a murder charge. Jail officials had no information on whether he has an attorney. Vucerakovich was en route to Texas on Tuesday.Police in the Houston suburb of La Porte learned the children had not attended school since Oct. 25 and that Perisic had called the school the next day, saying they wouldn't be returning to class because they were returning to Canada, the Houston Chronicle reported. Court records show Perisic and the children's mother, who lives in La Porte, are Canadian citizens and he had filed for divorce earlier this year, the Chronicle reported.

Dad charged in death of son, 10
Sister, 12, shot and in stable condition
Updated: Thursday, 16 Dec 2010, 12:05 PM CST
Published : Tuesday, 14 Dec 2010, 3:39 PM CST

HOUSTON (AP) - A rural Texas man involved in a custody dispute faces a murder charge after two of his children were shot, resulting in the death of his 10-year-old son.

Authorities said Tuesday that 54-year-old Predrag Perisic, formerly of La Porte, is charged with murder in San Jacinto County and interference with child custody in Harris County.

Authorities say they went to Perisic's home in Coldspring on Monday to arrest him on the child custody charge when they heard gunshots.

The boy was pronounced dead at a hospital. His sister, 12, also was shot but is in stable condition at a Houston hospital.

Perisic is in the San Jacinto County Jail . A judge denied bond. Jail officials had no information on whether he has an attorney.

Attorneys representing the
Canadian national accused of shooting his two children, killing one of
them, say their client requires leg surgery before his trial.

Predrag Perisic was in court
for a pre-trial hearing in the 411th District Court, Judge Robert Trapp
presiding, on Thursday, May 3.

His attorneys filed pre-trial motions at the hearing,
one of which was to request a medical exam because Perisic “is in
continuous pain.” Pain so severe — one attorney said — it would affect
his client’s ability to be able to think and concentrate during the trial.

Perisic took the stand to testify concerning his medical condition.

Through the use of an interpreter, Perisic, who is a
Serbian native but immigrated to Canada, said he had experienced pain,
coldness, numbness and tingling in his left leg to the point of being
unable to walk at times.

Perisic said he had surgery on his left leg “about
four months ago,” at which time the surgeon told him the other leg
should be operated on as well within “two to three weeks.”

Although the symptoms have been relieved in his left
leg after the surgery, Perisic testified that the other leg is now
causing him sleepless nights with severe pain.

When asked by his defense attorney if the pain caused him to
be irritable and unable to think, Perisic replied, “Yes.”
San Jacinto County Criminal District Attorney Richard Countiss asked Perisic
if he had anything in writing by a doctor.

“No, personally, I don’t have anything,” said Perisic.

Judge Trapp issued an order for the sheriff’s office
to release Perisic’s medical records for review as soon as possible, and
for Perisic to be examined by a physician to determine if surgery is
necessary before his trial, which is scheduled to begin June 4.

Perisic is accused of shooting his two children repeatedly in
an incident that occurred on Dec. 13, 2010.

After an ongoing international custody dispute with
his ex-wife, a Canadian court awarded custody of the children to their
mother in October 2010.

Peresic checked the children out of school in LaPorte where they had been living and disappeared.

When the LaPorte Police Department filed the children
as missing in November, a Harris County warrant for interference with
child custody was issued for Perisic’s arrest.

As authorities closed in on Perisic at a residence on
Red Bird Lane in Coldspring on Dec. 13, they heard gunshots. Deputies
found Perisic in a back room of the house with his children, Danyela,
12, and Deyan, 10, who had been shot multiple times.
Deyan died from his injuries.

Perisic was arrested at the scene and charged with capital murder and
aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.

At Thursday’s hearing, the judge approved a motion made by Countiss to try both charges together.
“It all arises out of the same incident,” said Countiss.

Trapp also approved a motion by the defense to
“restrict the media.” Perisic’s attorney said the request was made in
order to avoid the case being “tried by the media,” because of press
coverage. The motion does not restrict the media from covering the
trial; however, it is essentially a gag order, restricting all parties
in the case from discussing it with the media and giving interviews.

Perisic’s surviving child, 14-year-old Danyela Perisic, flew down with her mother
from Canada to testify at the hearing.

After a private interview with the child and her
mother, Judge Trapp decided that her testimony during the trial would be
live, but through a closed-circuit camera system so she wouldn’t have
to face her father in the courtroom.

“It will be harmful for her to testify in person.”
said Trapp, who explained that it was a very emotionally difficult
process for the girl.

Perisic’s attorneys filed several motions in an
attempt to throw out all of the prosecution’s evidence. The motions were
supposed to be resolved at Thursday’s hearing, but were taken off the
agenda by his attorneys without explanation.

Countiss had several witnesses lined up to testify in
opposition to the defense’s motions, as did the defense, however at
least one key witness for the defense did not show up — Perisic’s
previous defense attorney.

Another pre-trial hearing was set for May 31 to
address these and other issues, including a test-run of the
closed-circuit camera system for Danyela Perisic’s testimony at the trial.

Attorneys for Perisic’s twin brother, Nenad Perisic,
were also in court on Thursday. They attempted to have their client’s
trial changed to a different county, citing media coverage of the case
as a hindrance to a fair trial in San Jacinto County.

Nenad is accused of aiding Predrag while he was wanted by authorities,
by providing his brother with money and food.


Trapp deferred making a judgment on the change of venue at the hearing.
http://www.yourhoustonnews.com/eastex/news/canadian-suspect-requests-leg-surgery-before-trial-for-son-s/article_79da3874-24ff-5ec3-b3be-075d2e8fdb91.html