Parents of Serbian school shooter sentenced in retrial, report says

Miljana Kecmanovic, the mother of a boy who killed nine students and a security guard in a school shooting in 2023, arrives in the court building prior to a verdict in her trial, in Belgrade, Serbia, Dec. 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic)

BELGRADE -- The parents of a Serbian boy who killed 10 people in a 2023 Belgrade school shooting were convicted at a retrial on Thursday, the prosecutor’s office said, with the court jailing the father for 14-1/2 years for failing to secure the handguns used in the attack.

Vladimir Kecmanovic was convicted of abuse of a minor and a serious public safety offence. His wife Miljana was jailed for 35 months for neglect and abuse of a minor, one month less than the original sentence, the Tanjug news agency reported.

The father’s sentence remained unchanged from the initial verdict, which was overturned by the Belgrade-based Court of Appeals due to procedural breaches.

The son, identified only as K.K., shot dead eight students and a security guard at his school in May 2023, wounding five other students and a teacher before surrendering to police. One girl later died of her injuries.

Under Serbian law, the boy, who was 13 at the time of the shooting, cannot be tried because of his age. He is being held in a psychiatric hospital for minors. In Serbia, parents are legally responsible for crimes committed by minors under 14.

During the retrial, prosecutors said the parents failed to provide their son with adequate psychological support and that the father did not store his handguns in line with the law, keeping them in a way that allowed the boy to access them.

The defence argued the prosecution had not presented sufficient evidence.

Both the defence and the prosecution have the right to appeal the verdict and the sentences. The Higher Public Prosecutor’s Office in Belgrade said it was satisfied with the verdict.

Reporting by Aleksandar Vasovic; Editing by Milla Nissi-Prussak, Reuters