A Bowling Green man suspected of murder in the death of a woman whose remains were found in a burning car was the subject of a protective order taken out by the woman in Missouri, according to testimony from a detective.

Salko Husejnovic, 31, is charged with murder (domestic violence), abuse of a corpse and tampering with physical evidence, all stemming from the death of Jasmina Aljic.

At a preliminary hearing on Friday, Warren District Court Judge Kim Geoghegan sent Husejnovic’s case to a grand jury for possible indictment.

Court records indicate that Husejnovic and Aljic have three children in common, and Detective Tim Robinson of the Warren County Sheriff’s Office testified Friday that Husejnovic referred to Aljic as his wife while being interviewed by law enforcement.

Shelly Boyd, 44, of Bowling Green, is charged with abuse of a corpse and tampering with physical evidence in connection with Aljic’s death.

Boyd waived her preliminary hearing Friday, allowing her case to be sent directly to a grand jury without a judge finding probable cause.

Robinson testified that Boyd is in a relationship with Husejnovic’s brother.

The WCSO was contacted in the early morning hours of Jan. 19 by someone who reported seeing a sedan on fire in the 3300 block of Threlkel Ferry Road.

WCSO and the Richardsville Fire Department responded, and authorities found human remains on the front passenger side floorboard.

Robinson testified that the state medical examiner’s office noted that no soot was found in Aljic’s airway, suggesting that she was already dead when the fire began in the car.

A forensic anthropologist with the state is expected to analyze the remains to help determine a cause of death, the detective said.

Law enforcement found that the vehicle was registered to Aljic, and used license plate camera readers to track its movements in the hours before it was found on Threlkel Ferry Road.

Deputies went to Husejnovic’s residence on Fortuna Avenue, where Boyd answered the door.

Robinson testified that Boyd initially told law enforcement that Husejnovic was not there, but deputies learned that Husejnovic was hiding in the home and he soon came out on his own.

Husejnovic at first denied knowing Aljic’s whereabouts, telling law enforcement he last saw her in November, Robinson said.

Law enforcement obtained a search warrant for the residence and found a bag of clothing in a kitchen cabinet that Robinson said was placed in a way that was meant to be hidden.

Robinson testified that the clothing ended up matching exactly the clothing that Boyd was seen wearing on surveillance camera footage at a convenience store shortly before the burning car was found.

Boyd told detectives she did not know why the clothing was hidden and initially denied any knowledge of the clothing, but Robinson said detectives confronted her with the video footage and told her it was time to be truthful.

Detectives also found three pillows in a washing machine that appeared to be bloodstained, Robinson said.

Boyd reportedly told detectives that she was at the home and witnessed an incident of domestic violence between Husejnovic and Aljic.

“(Boyd) stated she heard Salko beating Jasmina,” Robinson said, adding that Boyd told detectives that Aljic’s body was placed on the kitchen floor and left there for three days, while Husejnovic told the children in the home that their mother was sleeping. “She does not report any attempts to summon help.”

Robinson said that Boyd left the residence periodically to obtain food and other items, but Boyd reported that she was there at the residence due to an ongoing domestic issue with her boyfriend and was afraid for her life after the alleged homicide.

On Jan. 18, Boyd obtained a can of gasoline and then she and Husejnovic drove Aljic’s vehicle with the body to Threlkel Ferry Road, according to court documents.

Robinson said that Boyd reported Husejnovic unsuccessfully attempted to push the car off a cliff before pouring gasoline inside and on the vehicle, and dousing a rag with gasoline to set the vehicle on fire.

Husejnovic was brought to Bowling Green Police Department headquarters to be interviewed by WCSO detectives.

At the time, Husejnovic was wearing a hooded sweatshirt and when he pulled down the hood, law enforcement saw that part of his hair was singed, Robinson said.

“(Husejnovic) states that he and Jasmina got into an argument, he states that he struck her and she stopped breathing,” Robinson said. “He states that it was (Boyd’s) idea not to call 911, that it was her idea to leave the body in the kitchen, that it was her idea to buy the gasoline and light the fire.”

Husejnovic also claimed that Aljic was alive when the car ignited, Robinson said.

The detective testified that Aljic had been living in Missouri until just after Christmas, when she obtained the property at Fortuna Avenue.

The children in the home were placed with family members of Aljic in Missouri and will be interviewed by detectives, Robinson said.

Husejnovic remains in Warren County Regional Jail under a $1 million cash bond, while Boyd is jailed under a $50,000 cash bond.