Belgrade Court Jails Parents of Teenage School Shooter After Retrial Verdict
A Belgrade court has sentenced the parents of a boy responsible for the 2023 Vladislav Ribnikar school massacre to prison terms, following a retrial. The boy, aged 13 at the time, shot dead nine children and a security guard.
His father, Vladimir Kecmanović, received a sentence of 14 years and six months. His mother, Miljana Kecmanović, was given two years and 11 months. Both were convicted of neglect and abuse of a minor, with the father also facing charges related to public safety offences. Defence and prosecution counsel have lodged appeals against these verdicts.
The May 2023 attack, which also wounded five children and a history teacher, saw the perpetrator use two handguns taken from his father’s safe. Mass shootings were previously uncommon in Serbia, prompting widespread protests and government reforms, including a gun amnesty and stricter firearms legislation.
The initial trial in 2024 saw the father convicted for training his son in gun handling and unsafe storage, while the mother was cleared of illegal firearms possession but convicted of neglect. However, the Belgrade court of appeal ordered a retrial in November 2025, citing unclear and contradictory reasoning in the original verdicts. The recent retrial commenced in January, where the chief prosecutor asserted that convictions would address how Serbian society confronts such a profound tragedy. The judge confirmed the boy fired 66 bullets over two minutes, causing numerous fatalities and injuries.
