Carly Mailar, right, remembers Vera Pitulic, left, as a bubbly, generous friend and a loving mother. She said she hopes people remember Pitulic for the way she lived and not how she died.
Courtesy of Carly Mailar
A 38-year-old man was arrested in connection with his girlfriend’s killing last week after police found traces of blood, five mops and an empty bleach bottle at her last known location, his home, according to an arrest warrant affidavit obtained Thursday.
Donny Benedict was being held Thursday in the Collin County jail with no bail set, according to jail records. He faces a murder charge. Jail records also show a charge of assault of a family or household member by impeding breath or circulation issued by the Collin County sheriff’s office.
According to the affidavit, Grapevine police were dispatched July 20 to Vera Pitulic’s apartment, where multiple friends told officers they hadn’t seen her since she attended a pool party with Benedict two days earlier.
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Pitulic’s friends told officers Pitulic and Benedict had an argument the night of the party, and he had accused her of cheating in multiple messages sent to them. They said Benedict clearly wanted “war” with Pitulic’s best friend’s boyfriend, the affidavit said, whom he claimed she had been seeing.
Ring camera footage shared by Pitulic’s neighbor showed the two together at her apartment after the party about 12:23 a.m., though Benedict initially denied being with her when he spoke with detectives over the phone, the affidavit said. After seeing the video, Benedict then told officers he had been with Pitulic and gotten into an argument before parting ways and not seeing her again.
On July 21, Carrollton police were dispatched to Interstate 35 after reports of a vehicle on the shoulder of the highway. Once there, officers located a Dodge Journey and found Pitulic dead in the front passenger seat, the affidavit said.
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Pitulic had numerous injuries consistent with assault, according to the affidavit, and the state of her body indicated she’d died well before being found on I-35.
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Officers searched the Dodge and found a shattered cellphone and Pitulic’s swimsuit and flip-flops from the party, which Benedict had sent them a picture of after his initial phone conversation with them. Both clothing items tested positive for the presence of blood, the affidavit said.
Detectives obtained a search warrant for Pitulic’s phone, and determined it traveled from the pool party to Benedict’s house and remained active until about 2 a.m. on July 19, the affidavit said.
Officers then executed a search warrant at Benedict’s Collin County residence, which detectives said appeared clean despite the presence of four dogs. There, they found five mops in the garage and laundry room, an empty bleach container in the dumpster and two holes in the living room wall at head height.
While detectives were searching the home, Benedict’s ex-girlfriend arrived on scene and voluntarily agreed to be questioned. She told officers she had been in an “abusive relationship” with Benedict for a year and a half before the two broke up in June.
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She came back to Benedict’s home for the first time the night of July 20, the same night Pitulic’s friends filed a missing-person report, and stayed the night. She told officers his behavior had been abnormal and noted that Benedict’s vehicle had a broken window. She also saw a head-shaped hole in his wall, according to the affidavit.
Police said she cried heavily, and stated she “believed he was capable” of hurting Pitulic because of his temper.
Detectives then used a blood detection reagent, which indicated the presence of blood above and below the two holes, in the kitchen and bathroom sinks and on a bathroom floor. Based on the state of Benedict’s home, police believe a large amount of blood had been cleaned up from at least two areas.
Based on how Pitulic was found, cellphone records and the “presumptive” presence of blood in Benedict’s house, investigators believe Benedict assaulted her before leaving her body on the side of the highway.
Friends recall the ‘beautiful way she lived’
Pitulic, 41, from Serbia, was the mother of two young boys and a longtime substitute teacher. Friends remembered her as vibrant and welcoming.
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Carly Mailar has known Pitulic for over a year, as the two cheered on their sons together during soccer games. She said she’ll remember Pitulic’s generosity, selflessness and unwavering love for her boys most.
Her heart is “absolutely broken” for the unimaginable loss, Mailar said, that will now be carried by her sons and remaining family. Pitulic’s children are currently in Egypt with their father.
Condolences and memories of Pitulic have also mounted on social media in the days following her death.
Lauren Ingrid, of Granbury, said in a Facebook post Pitulic was one of the most beautiful souls she had the honor of knowing. “I never ever imagined we wouldn’t see our dreams come true together,” Ingrid wrote.
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Teachers who said Pitulic worked with them at Dove and Silver Lake elementary schools in Grapevine described her in comments on Facebook as “a ball of sunshine” and a “positive presence” that both the students loved.
In a statement, Grapevine-Colleyville ISD officials extended their thoughts and sympathy toward family, friends and coworkers impacted by Pitulic’s death.
A GoFundMe created by Pitulic’s family is raising money to honor her brothers’ wish of bringing her home to Serbia to be buried with her family. It has raised almost $33,000 as of Thursday.
“I hope people remember Vera not for the horrific way her life ended, but for the beautiful way she lived and the incredible mother, friend, and person she was,” Mailar said. “That is the legacy she deserves.”