Belgrade Higher Court: trial opens over Gavrila Principa Street murder
A Belgrade Higher Court panel has opened the trial of Nikola B. (19), accused of aggravated murder and attempted murder in central Belgrade in June last year.
- The Belgrade Higher Court has opened the trial of N. B. (19) for aggravated murder in Gavrila Principa Street.
- The offense was committed on June 6 last year, when I. A. was killed in central Belgrade.
- The defendant faces charges of aggravated murder and attempted murder, with two handguns used.
- Proceedings against a minor accomplice are being conducted separately before a juvenile judge.
A panel of the Belgrade Higher Court has opened the trial of Nikola B. (19), charged with aggravated murder and attempted murder. The offenses, according to the indictment, were committed on June 6 last year in Gavrila Principa Street in central Belgrade.
Proceedings against a minor accomplice are being conducted separately before a juvenile judge at the Belgrade Higher Court. The defendant was questioned during the pre-investigation phase and, according to informal accounts from sources close to the court, described the course of events in his statement.
What the indictment alleges
According to the indictment of the Belgrade Higher Public Prosecutor’s Office, the defendant and the minor waited for the victims on June 6 last year outside a cafe in Gavrila Principa Street. When the victim, I. A., left the cafe and headed for a parked SUV, he was accompanied by L. M.
According to the indictment, the defendant and the minor drew two handguns, a Crvena Zastava and a Walther, and fired several shots at the victims. The main elements of the classification cover:
- direct intent to take a life
- use of firearms in a public space
- endangering the safety of multiple persons
- complicity with a minor
L. M. managed to flee. I. A. got into the vehicle and drove off, but lost control due to his injuries and collided with a vehicle of the Belgrade City Transport Company (GSP) in Gavrila Principa Street, where he died of his injuries.
Legal classification
The offense of aggravated murder under Article 114 of the Criminal Code is punishable by at least 10 years’ imprisonment or life imprisonment. The offense of attempted murder is punishable by the sentence prescribed for the completed offense, with the court able to reduce the sentence.
The offense of aggravated murder under Article 114 of the Criminal Code, when committed in a treacherous manner or for material gain, is punishable by imprisonment of at least 10 years or life imprisonment, in line with the applicable statutory classification.
Prosecutors proposed in the indictment that the offense be classified as aggravated murder committed in a treacherous manner, given how the offense was organized and carried out.
What follows at upcoming hearings
Under standard procedure, the next hearings are scheduled for presenting evidence, examining witnesses and questioning expert witnesses. According to informal accounts, witnesses will include cafe staff, the victim L. M. and GSP employees who first arrived at the scene.
The defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty by a final court decision. The next hearing will be scheduled by the Belgrade Higher Court panel within a month, according to informal accounts.
Will the court adopt the classification of aggravated murder committed in a treacherous manner?
