Serbian school shooter’s parents sentenced to combined 17.5 years in prison

A Belgrade court sentenced the parents of a 13-year-old boy to prison on Monday, after he fatally shot nine students and a security guard at an elementary school in Serbia’s capital on May 3, 2023.

The attack shocked the Balkan nation, where mass shootings are rare despite widespread gun ownership.

The trial focused on the parents, Vladimir and Miljana Kecmanovic, as their son, due to his age, could not be criminally prosecuted.

The court sentenced Vladimir Kecmanovic to 14 years and six months, and Miljana Kecmanovic to three years in prison, the Belgrade Higher Court said in a statement.

“The accused, Vladimir Kecmanovic, was found guilty of committing the criminal offenses of a grave offense against public safety and neglect and abuse of a minor. The accused, Miljana Kecmanovic, was found guilty of neglect and abuse of a minor,” the court said.

Miljana Kecmanovic was acquitted of charges related to the unauthorized production, possession, carrying, or trafficking of weapons.

The court also sentenced Nemanja Marinkovic, the shooting instructor at the range where the boy practiced, to one year and three months in prison.

Both the prosecution and defense plan to appeal.

‘No punishment that can bring true justice’

Chief Public Prosecutor Nenad Stefanovic announced that he would seek harsher sentences for Vladimir Kecmanovic and Marinkovic and challenge the dismissal of part of the indictment against Miljana Kecmanovic.

Lawyers for the parents and Marinkovic also indicated they would appeal.

Ognjen Bozovic, who represents the families of the murdered children, said that while the families were satisfied from a legal perspective, there is no punishment that can bring true justice, as no one has been convicted for the massacre itself.

Accountability for the shooting

Visibly shaken family members of the victims attended the sentencing. Students placed flowers outside the courthouse and stood in silence for 10 minutes to honor the dead.

Ninela Radicevic, the mother of one of the murdered girls, said they had expected the verdict but sought accountability for the shooting itself.

The victims’ families are pursuing five additional civil lawsuits against the Kecmanovic family.

The teenage shooter, who has been placed in a psychiatric institution, testified in court in October as part of the case against his parents. His testimony on October 8 was delivered in a high-security courtroom, typically reserved for organized crime and war crime cases.

While the verdict against the parents was announced publicly, much of the 11-month trial was held behind closed doors.

Following the sentencing, the court ordered Vladimir Kecmanovic back into custody, where he has been since the shootings. Miljana Kecmanovic remains free until the verdict is final.

Days after the school attack, Serbia experienced another mass shooting when a 21-year-old armed with an automatic rifle killed nine people south of Belgrade. Earlier this month, that attacker was sentenced to 20 years in prison—the maximum penalty due to his age.

The shootings sparked anti-government protests, with tens of thousands of people calling for the resignation of officials and an end to the glorification of violence and mafia culture in Serbian media.

In September, the government designated May 3 and May 4 as Days of Remembrance for the victims of mass shootings.