MIAMI – The man accused of stalking Martina Hingis was
"deranged and delusional" when he was warned to stay away from
the tennis star, a police officer testified Friday.
Miami-Dade police Sgt. Eric Rossman, security coordinator at the
2000 Ericsson Open, warned Dubravko Rajcevic that he risked a
trespassing arrest if he didn't honor a warning to stay out of the
Key Biscayne park where the annual tournament is played.
The 46-year-old, Croatian-born naval engineer and Australian
citizen returned twice and was arrested both times. He faces up to
a year in jail if convicted of stalking and three counts of
trespassing, all misdemeanors.
Rossman said he drew his conclusion about Rajcevic's mental
state based in part on two rambling handwritten letters given to
him by Hingis' manager, Mario Widmer. The Swiss player was 18 at
the time, and Rajcevic claimed she loved him.
"I haven't seen you at time but feelings are still high," said
Rajcevic, who wrote the letters in English and speaks broken
English. "Your musical and sweet voice also I missed."
Defense attorney Frank Abrams asked Rossman whether Rajcevic
told him that then-President Clinton and then-Secretary of State
Madeleine Albright had introduced him to the player and that he
knew the director of the FBI. The sergeant said Rajcevic mentioned
them.
"Obviously, I felt your client was deranged and delusional,"
Rossman said on the opening day of testimony.
Three psychological evaluations last July concluded Rajcevic was
delusional about Hingis but agreed he was legally competent to
stand trial.
Rajcevic regularly sent love letters and flowers to Hingis,
starting in January 1999, frequently called her at hotels and came
to the gate of her home. By chance, Hingis answered once at a hotel
and told him to leave her alone, Assistant State Attorney Ergio
Fernandez said in his opening statement.
"She asked him to stop. She asked him to leave her alone. She
asked him to stay away from her, and he didn't," Fernandez said.
"Martina became the object of his long and wide journey of his
obsession."
Rajcevic laughed and shook his head as Fernandez described how
security officers kicked him out of a German tournament after
warnings from Hingis' manager. She hired a security guard in the
midst of Rajcevic's pursuit.
Abrams denied Rajcevic ever threatened Hingis. In his initial
comments to the eight-member jury, he said, "I will be defending a
man's right to love a woman and to pursue the object of his
affection as a legitimate and non-malicious purpose in this
world."
Circuit Judge Kevin Emas sent the jury out of the courtroom
during Abrams' opening remarks after he banged the podium with his
hand and repeatedly violated rules restricting the content of his
statements.
Rajcevic was animated in court, often smiling, giving a
thumbs-up sign and using his hands to outline a heart for the
camera.
"This will not be played to the camera. This is not
off-Broadway," the judge told both sides, threatening to remove a
Court TV camera and other media from the courtroom if lawyers
didn't control themselves.
Abrams acknowledged that Rajcevic sent Hingis a long series of
letters expressing his love and encouragement. But after Rajcevic
was arrested a year ago, Abrams said, "All my client wanted was
for Ms. Hingis to personally tell him her feelings."
Rajcevic was arrested on a trespass charge last March 31, was
released on bond, returned to the tournament two days later and was
arrested again.
Circuit Judge Gerald Klein, called as the first witness, said he
ordered Rajcevic at a bond hearing on the first arrest to have no
contact with Hingis.
After the second arrest, Rajcevic refused an offer to be freed
without bond on the condition that he would have no contact with
Hingis for two years.
She is expected to testify Monday, and the trial is scheduled to
end next week.
The defense wanted to call tennis stars Venus and Serena
Williams and Lindsay Davenport as witnesses, but the judge limited
their role to affidavits. In papers released Friday, they said they
had no opinion on whether Hingis showed emotional distress, an
element required for a stalking conviction. Send this story to a friend | Most sent stories |
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