Smail Tulja (born Smajo Džurlić; 1940 or 1941 – 12 February 2012) was a Montenegrin who was convicted in a

Montenegro , image_flag = Flag of Montenegro.svg , image_coat = Coat of arms of Montenegro.svg , coa_size = 80 , national_motto = , national_anthem = () , image_map = Europe-Mont ...

court, in July 2010, for the 1990 murder of Mary Beal in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

. Beal went missing on September 15, 1990, and was found three weeks later in two garbage bags. She had been decapitated and dismembered. Džurlić changed his name to Tulja after fleeing the

U.S. The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 contiguous ...

, with his third wife, following Beal's murder. Tulja/Džurlić is suspected of being the " Butcher of Mons", in the mid-1990s. He had fled to the Belgian city, still with his third wife, sometime after the murder of Mary Beal. The female victims in

Belgium Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...

share the similarity of being found dismembered and in garbage bags scattered across the city. Two dismembered female murder victims were found in

Albania Albania ( ; or ), officially the Republic of Albania (), is a country in Southeast Europe. It is located in the Balkans, on the Adriatic Sea, Adriatic and Ionian Seas within the Mediterranean Sea, and shares land borders with Montenegro to ...

in 2006. Albanian police asked the American Embassy Regional Security Office for assistance, who coordinated with the FBI resulting in a chain of events that did not solve the Albanian deaths, but did link

NYPD The City of New York Police Department, also referred to as New York City Police Department (NYPD), is the primary law enforcement agency within New York City. Established on May 23, 1845, the NYPD is the largest, and one of the oldest, munic ...

to the FBI investigation and Tulja/Džurlić's 2007 arrest in Montenegro by local authorities. That country had just declared independence in 2006, and did not yet have an

extradition treaty In an extradition, one jurisdiction delivers a person accused or convicted of committing a crime in another jurisdiction, into the custody of the other's law enforcement. It is a cooperative law enforcement procedure between the two jurisdic ...

with the U.S. The Montenegrin court system tried him for Beal's murder in New York City, convicting him in June 2010 and sending him to jail for 12 years a few weeks later. The FBI/NYPD believe that Tulja/Džurlić may have committed at least eight total murders in Belgium (five), Albania (two) and America (Beal), though Belgian and Albanian police have not made any conclusive connections to those murders.

References

External links

ABC News: Suspect in NYC Slaying Arrested AbroadAOL News: Suspected serial killer arrested in MontenegroInternational Herald Tribune: Tip from New York City police detective leads to arrest of suspected serial killer in Europe
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tulja, Smail 1940s births Living people Montenegrin emigrants to the United States Montenegrin Muslims Montenegrin people convicted of murder People convicted of murder by Montenegro People from Plav, Montenegro Suspected serial killers Year of birth missing (living people)