AFTERMATH OF HORRIFIC CRIME AT ZAGREB PSYCHIATRIC HOSPITAL: Entire management submits irrevocable resignations over death of former athlete allegedly suffocated with a pillow by medical technicians!

Mirando Mrsić, president of the Governing Council of the “Sveti Ivan” Psychiatric Hospital, and the other members of the council appointed by the City of Zagreb have submitted irrevocable resignations following the tragic death of a patient at the institution.

“Today, I, as president, and the other members of the Governing Council appointed by the City of Zagreb, submitted our irrevocable resignations,” Mrsić told reporters at the hospital, where Kristijan Josip Periš, 32, died on October 21, Jutarnji list reports.

He also explained why the resignations had not been submitted earlier.

“We could have resigned immediately, and that would have been the easiest option, but I could not leave the hospital without leadership and put the patients receiving treatment there at risk,” he said.

Four medical technicians have been remanded in custody on suspicion of aggravated murder. The case has raised questions about possible failures in the treatment of the patient and the responsibility of the hospital’s management.

Hospital director Majda Grah resigned on Thursday, while her deputy and the assistant director for nursing also stepped down.

The death of Kristijan Josip Periš

The case of Kristijan Josip Periš, 32, a former Croatian athlete and coach, is one of the most serious cases of violence against a patient in a psychiatric institution reported in Croatia in recent years.

According to the findings of the investigation so far, Periš died on October 21, 2026, at the “Sveti Ivan” Psychiatric Hospital in Zagreb’s Jankomir district, after four medical technicians allegedly physically restrained him and pinned him down on a hospital bed. Investigators suspect that they beat him, applied pressure to his neck and suffocated him with a pillow.

The four technicians are being held in pretrial detention on suspicion of aggravated murder of a particularly vulnerable person.

Periš was 32 years old. He was a former track and field athlete, a graduate in kinesiology and a longtime coach in para-arm wrestling. He was associated with the Agram Athletics Club.