Current:Home > BackTrial opens in Serbia for parents of a teenager who fatally shot 10 people at a school last year-LoTradeCoin
Trial opens in Serbia for parents of a teenager who fatally shot 10 people at a school last year
View Date:2024-12-23 16:32:16
BELGRADE, Serbia (AP) — A trial started Monday in Serbia for the parents of a teenager who is accused of killing 10 people and injuring six in a mass shooting at his school last May that left the Balkan nation in shock.
The suspected shooter, 13-year-old Kosta Kecmanovic, has been held in a mental institution since the attack and cannot be held criminally liable under Serbian law because of his age. His father and mother were charged with a “serious act against general safety” for failing to safeguard the weapon and ammunition used in the shooting.
The High Court in the capital, Belgrade, decided to keep the entire proceedings closed to the public despite calls by the defense lawyers that they be open. The couple, reportedly embraced in the courtroom and wept together, according to local media reports.
The shooting at a school in Belgrade last May 4, which left nine schoolmates and a security guard dead, was followed by another mass slaying a day later in central Serbia that killed eight people and wounded 14. The two attacks triggered months of protests against Serbia’s populist President Aleksandar Vucic for allegedly creating a culture of violence in a country that went through a series of bloody wars in the 1990s.
Kecmanovic’s father faces additional charges, including an accusation of training the boy how to shoot without properly guarding the weapons at their home. The manager of a shooting range and an instructor also have been charged.
Serbia has one of the highest gun ownership rates in the world. The country is full of weapons left over from the conflicts of the 1990s.
Chief prosecutor Nenad Stefanovic told state RTS broadcaster that he expects “a free and fair trial.”
The defense lawyers said Monday they are against keeping the trial closed to the public.
“Today the court made a decision to exclude the public in the entire course of this procedure, stating that this is done to protect the interests of minors and some private interests of the participants in the procedure,” lawyer Irina Borovic said. “Our position is that the decision of the court was absolutely hasty.”
veryGood! (14)
Related
- 24 more monkeys that escaped from a South Carolina lab are recovered unharmed
- Members of Congress call on companies to retain DEI programs as court cases grind on
- Content Creator Dead at 26 After Falling Off Bridge While Filming
- How long is Aidan Hutchinson out? Updated injury timeline for Lions DE
- Shawn Mendes quest for self-discovery is a quiet triumph: Best songs on 'Shawn' album
- The Daily Money: America's retirement system gets a C+
- Grand jury charges daughter with killing Kentucky woman whose body was dismembered
- Halle Bailey Details “Crippling Anxiety” Over Leaving Son Halo for Work After DDG Split
- A $1 billion proposal is the latest plan to refurbish and save the iconic Houston Astrodome
- Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce attend Game 1 of Guardians vs. Yankees
Ranking
- Does your dog have arthritis? A lot of them do. But treatment can be tricky
- Easily decipher dashboard lights, laundry symbols with this hack
- Permits put on hold for planned pipeline to fuel a new Tennessee natural gas power plant
- 1-seat Democratic margin has Pennsylvania House control up for grabs in fall voting
- Horoscopes Today, November 11, 2024
- Ahead of the presidential election, small biz owners are growing more uncertain about the economy
- The pandas are coming! The pandas are coming!
- Ricky Pearsall returns to the 49ers practice for the first time since shooting
Recommendation
-
Duke basketball vs Kentucky live updates: Highlights, scores, updates from Champions Classic
-
Dolphins expect Tua Tagovailoa to play again in 2024. Here's what we know.
-
Walgreens to close 1,200 US stores in an attempt to steady operations at home
-
I went to this bougie medical resort. A shocking test result spiked my health anxiety.
-
The boy was found in a ditch in Wisconsin in 1959. He was identified 65 years later.
-
Richard Allen on trial in Delphi Murders: What happened to Libby German and Abby Williams
-
'A piece of all of us': Children lost in the storm, mourned in Hurricane Helene aftermath
-
Bills land five-time Pro Bowl WR Amari Cooper in trade with Browns