A court in Belgrade has jailed the parents of a 13-year-old boy who last year shot and killed nine students and a security guard at an elementary school.
The Higher Court on December 30 announced a 14-year sentence against Vladimir Kecmanovic, father of the shooter in the May 2023 attack, and a three-year sentence against Miljana Kecmanovic, the shooter’s mother.
The Higher Court also sentenced shooting range instructor Nemanja Marinkovic to one year and three months in prison.
Vladimir Kecmanovic was convicted of a serious crime against public safety and neglect and abuse of a minor. He has been accused of training his 13-year-old son to handle firearms and failing to provide proper storage conditions for the weapons the boy used in committing the crime.
Miljana Kecmanovic was sentenced for neglecting a minor. Marinkovic was found guilty of giving false testimony.
Chief public prosecutor Nenad Stefanovic said he was satisfied with the court's decision, though it cannot compensate for the tragic consequences of the crime.
Defense attorneys for the parents and the instructor at the shooting range also announced their intention to appeal.
"This verdict was expected due to the enormous public pressure during this criminal trial. We are still convinced that the prosecution failed to prove the allegations in the indictment," said Irina Borovic, the lawyer representing the parents of the shooter.
No criminal proceedings are being pursued against the student who carried out the mass murder because of his age. He has been in a psychiatric hospital since the shooting.
SEE ALSO: Serbs Take To Streets In Sixth Anti-Government Protest Since Mass Shootings Last MonthThe student was questioned during the trial, and the indictment against his parents was later expanded to include charges of neglect and abuse of a minor.
Vladimir Kecmanovic remains in detention, while a restraining order has been placed on Miljana Kecmanovic, prohibiting her from approaching or communicating with her son.
The trial concluded after 11 months, and it was closed to the public at the request of the prosecution to protect the minor involved.
According to the prosecution, the 13-year-old used his father's gun when he opened fire during the first period on May 3, 2023, killing nine students and school guard and injuring five other students and the teacher.
Serbia was rocked by the shooting only to suffer a similar tragedy one day later. In that case 21-year-old Uros Blazic used an automatic weapon to kill nine young people in villages near Belgrade.
Blazic was sentenced on December 12 to the maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. His father, Radisa Blazic, was also sentenced to 20 years for possessing illegal weapons used by his son to carry out the crime.
In response to the mass shootings, the government implemented a series of measures, including disarming the population, forming the Council for the Fight Against Peer Violence, ordering increased police presence in schools, and boosting the involvement of child psychologists.
Earlier this year in the United States, the parents of a 15-year-old school attacker became the first parents convicted in a mass school shooting in the country. Jennifer and James Crumbley in April were sentenced to at least 10 years in prison in their home state of Michigan.
They were accused of not securing a gun at home and acting indifferently to signs of their son’s deteriorating mental health. Their son, Ethan Crumbley, pleaded guilty and is serving a life sentence for killing four classmates in 2021.