Influencer Killed After Gun Discharged When Ex-Boyfriend 'Tripped': Coroner

According to 9News, 7News and the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, the coroner's office has ruled Jovanovic's death an "accident," determining there's not enough evidence to charge him with manslaughter.

On September 8, 2019, Jovanovic was shot inside the Gold Coast home of her ex, Christos Panagakos, as the two and several friends were getting ready to go out for dinner.

When police arrived, both Panagakos and the gun were gone. He later told investigators he fled the scene because he "did not want to be blamed for the shooting," per the outlets. The firearm used in the shooting has never been recovered.

It was Panagakos' mother, Michelle, who called the police. According to reports, she initially told officers she heard two loud bangs and found Jovanovic lying in the kitchen at the top of a staircase.

Michelle claimed her son had been walking up the stairs at the time and that a "cowboy-like" gun was at Jovanovic's feet, implying the influencer may have brought the weapon herself. But Coroner Donald MacKenzie had questions, calling her account "risible" when delivering his findings, Thursday, according to the ABC.

"Ms. Ivona Jovanovic was killed by Mr. Christos Panagakos when a handgun discharged from inside a bag he was carrying when he tripped on a staircase facing her," MacKenzie said in a statement.

Panagakos was initially charged with manslaughter back in 2021 but the charges were later dropped. Before that, he told a court he had little memory of the night Jovanovic died, admitting he had taken methamphetamines that evening, per ABC. Despite this, he insisted he did not have a gun in his possession.

MacKenzie said the "most reliable" evidence came from Daine Walker, a friend who was present that night.

"Christos was standing at the top of the stairs; I remember him saying 'I tripped' and 'it just went off'," Walker wrote in a statement. "I saw a gun on the floor at the top of the stairs."

However, Walker later claimed he couldn't remember writing the statement, and revealed he too used drugs that night. According to 9News, MacKenzie accused him of dodging legal liability, stating, "Clearly, he had been given sound legal advice on how to avoid his statement from being admissible against Mr. Panagakos in a criminal trial."

Despite concluding that Panagakos was responsible for Jovanovic's death, MacKenzie ultimately ruled it was "essentially an accident."

"In terms of the Criminal Code, his criminal negligence could not be established to warrant a prosecution for involuntary manslaughter," he said, according to the law in Australia. "Considering the evidence... I cannot make any meaningful recommendations."

MacKenzie did leave the door open for future action, however, noting that an inquest into the matter could be re-opened if new evidence were to emerge.

He also took a moment to acknowledge the emotional toll the long-unsolved case has taken on Jovanovic's loved ones, adding, "The lack of clarity about how she died can only have aggravated that grief."