Parents of Serbian Teen Shooter Receive Jail Terms in Belgrade Retrial

The parents of a 13‑year‑old boy who killed ten people, including seven girls, a boy and a security guard on 3 May 2023, were sentenced to prison terms in a retrial held in Belgrade.

Vladimir Kecmanović was given a 14‑year‑6‑month term, while his wife Miljana Kecmanović received 2 years 11 months for neglect and abuse of a minor. The boy, who was below the age of criminal responsibility at the time, had been placed in a psychiatric institution; his parents were charged with neglect and, for the father, a serious offence against public safety.

Both the defence and the prosecution lodged appeals against the jail terms, arguing that the evidence for neglect was unproven and that expert testimony was lacking. The court of appeal had ordered a retrial after a 2024 trial that was criticised for unclear reasoning and contradictory statements.

The 2023 shooting remains a rare and devastating moment in Serbia, where mass gun attacks are almost unheard of. It involved a 13‑year‑old carrying two handguns taken from his father's safe, firing 66 bullets in about two minutes, killing nine people and wounding another nine, including a history teacher.

Following the tragedy, tens of thousands protested, leading the Serbian government to enact a gun amnesty and tougher gun laws. The retrial, which began in January, aimed to clarify the parents’ liability and to address how society responded to one of the most tragic events in the country’s peacetime history.

The court’s revelations shed light on the circumstances of the shooting and the parents’ responsibility, providing a more nuanced view of the legal process surrounding the case.