VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (WAVY) – Dusan Naumovic, a popular math tutor, is currently serving a five-year sentence after pleading guilty to killing his wife’s lover.

Naumovic is speaking out for the first time about the fatal encounter.

In his interview from jail with WAVY News 10’s Andy Fox, Naumovic said that even though he pleaded guilty to manslaughter, he claims Virginia Beach Police threw away a crucial piece of evidence that would show he was acting in self-defense: The mattress Vinicius Carneiro and his wife were laying on when the shooting happened.

Due to COVID-19, 10 On Your Side was unable to conduct a jailhouse interview, so Naumovic used an Android tablet inside the jail

We also could only speak to him 15 minutes at a time before communication would be cut off, and we would have to call back. We had to call him 5 times.  

“I open the door, and I see the naked man on top of my naked wife,” Naumovic began his story. 

The scene of the crime was Naumovic’s Virginia Beach home on March 2, 2019. For five seconds, he said had a choice, kill his wife’s lover or let him live. 

“He looked at me, and I looked at him. I was pointing the gun at him, but I was not shooting.” 

Five seconds later, Dusan chose death. He remembered exactly what happened and recounted it with the sounds of the 40 cal. Smith and Wesson. 

“The first three shots, boom, boom, boom, those were the warning shots in front of him.” 

Imagine a box spring for the king-sized bed and you could see the bullet holes from those early shots at the foot of the bed.  

“Then two shots to the left, boom, boom.” 

The Autopsy concluded there were 9 wounds.

“And he’s coming at me, boom in the leg, ‘boom’ in the groin, ‘boom’ in the abdomen, ‘boom’ in the shoulder.” 

The medical examiner determined 5 to 9 bullets hit Vinicius Carneiro’s body. 

“Then, 2-3 feet away. Too close for comfort. I shot him in the heart twice, ‘boom,’ ‘boom.’” 

A death scene diagram shows 37-year-old Carneiro, who was unarmed, falling back on the bed face up while Dusan stood near the dresser by the closet. 

“There was nothing else I could have done. I had a handicapped child across the hall. It was my house and I wasn’t retreating,” Naumovic recounted. 

Naumovic was referring to his son Nicholas who is autistic and non-verbal.  

It is indisputable his wife of 25 years, Sheri, put into motion what happened. 

We have text messages directing Carneiro into the house. 

Her: “He (Dusan) just went to bed.. come at 2:30 a.m…text when you get here. I’ll let you in the garage.” 

Him: “I’m here” 

Her: “Come in the garage. I’ll let you in at 2:25 a.m.” 

Sheri Naumovic would not do an on-camera interview with 10 On Your Side, but did email the statement below. 

On March 1st 2019, the details of the evening prior to the shooting are true. However, things were far from stable.  We went to bed and I made the worst decision of my life and allowed Mr. Carneiro into my bedroom. I made a selfish, reckless, irresponsible decision that night.  One that caused the loss of a human life. It began a never-ending nightmare. Not one day goes by that I don’t relive the whole night.  I have to live with this the rest of my life, but I will not allow Dusan to slander me, in order to make his self-defense case plausible.

Sheri Naumovic

“That’s what Sheri says he said, ” Naumovic said when asked about his former wife’s statement.

When asked if he heard Carneiro say that he was begging for his life? 

“I did not,” he answered. 

Only three people know the truth, and one of them is dead.  

In the plea agreement, Naumovic pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter and the use of a firearm in a felony. 

He was given 10 years with five suspended, but he is now appealing to Gov. Ralph Northam for a conditional pardon. 

“The Virginia Beach Police threw out the only piece of evidence that would have conclusively proved I was acting in self-defense,” he wrote. 

“That bed was the only way I could prove self-defense. In the state of Virginia, you have to prove the assailant is coming at you. His DNA was all over that bed coming at me.” 

At the August 9, 2019, preliminary hearing, a police detective told the court the mattress was not kept for evidence because it was too large. 

“As we searched for the bullets, we cut through the mattress and threw away the box springs…we recovered the evidence…I do not believe we collected DNA from the mattress,” the detective said.

Naumovic told 10 On Your Side he could not appeal without the mattress evidence  

“There was a clear trail of probably his semen, but definitely his blood coming at me which would have shown his movement…so there is no way, after that bed being destroyed, that I could prove self-defense.” 

Virginia’s pardon department confirmed Naumovic’s clemency request to him, but refrained from commenting on the status of the pardon.  

“I deserve a pardon because my due process was violated, I was railroaded,” said Naumovic.

Virginia Beach Commonwealth’s Attorney Colin Stolle calls that absurd. 

“Naumovic’s claims that he was victimized or treated unfairly are offensive as they are wrong. He shot an unarmed man. All shots went downward into the victim while the man was begging for his life.” 

Read Commonwealth’s Attorney Stolle below:

“Naumovic’s claims that he has been victimized or treated unfairly in this case are as offensive as they are wrong.  He had the opportunity to go to trial, cross-examine witnesses, and challenge any evidence he and his attorney saw fit. For Naumovic to plea guilty then subsequently claim his innocence to the Governor and the media is absurd. Naumovic was charged with second-degree murder and the Commonwealth believes the evidence was sufficient for a conviction of second-degree murder. The Commonwealth allowed him to plead guilty to voluntary manslaughter as part of a plea agreement. Although the Commonwealth contends the evidence supported a conviction for second-degree murder, his bond status likely would not have changed if he were initially charged with voluntary manslaughter. There is a presumption against bond for voluntary manslaughter or second-degree murder. Naumovic shot an unarmed man, from a distance of 2.5 feet or more, eleven times while the man was begging for his life. All of the shots went downward into the victim, with the first shot being in the back of the victim’s leg.  That, coupled with the fact that Naumovic deactivated the alarm and stated he “thought something like this would happen” make the evidence overwhelming in this case.” 

Virginia Beach Commonwealth’s Attorney Colin Stolle

Stolle also points out Naumovic knew his wife was having affairs and contacted some of the individuals, including Carneiro.   

Naumovic admitted to this in court at his bond hearing,  

“I probably called him and asked him to stay away from her,” he said. 

He also admitted he had a bad feeling something would happen with the men visiting his wife.  

“After I cleared it up, I said I did have a bad feeling. People have bad feelings. I had a bad feeling.” 

“I wish he were alive. I don’t know what else I could have done.” 

When asked if he could’ve done things differently instead of shooting Carneiro.

“I know I pointed the gun at him. I gave him a chance to surrender, and he started coming at me,” said Naumovic. “I don’t know if I could have done anything else.” 

Naumovic’s release date is July 2023, but due to a change in Virginia’s time computation, he could get out up to a year early in July 2022.