Niska Banja: Trial of Parents Postponed to November 2
The Higher Court in Nis postponed the hearing for the parents of a boy who killed a classmate. The victim's parents say police summoned them over a criminal complaint.
A hearing before the Higher Court in Nis in the case against the parents of a boy who killed a classmate in Niska Banja was postponed on Monday, October 19, 2026. The next session is set for November 2. The parents of the murdered A. S. (13), Mica and Sanja Simic, spoke to reporters outside the courthouse and said that police had summoned them last week over a criminal complaint.
What did Mica Simic say about the complaint?
Simic says he and his wife were called in by police, and that the complaint concerns disclosing details of the trial. He made the statement to reporters after the hearing was postponed.
“Sanja and I received a call from the police, and we were told that a criminal complaint had been filed against us for disclosing details of the trial and the course of the proceedings.”
Simic does not say outright who filed the complaint. He says that “the opposing side is using every possible means to shift their guilt as parents onto us,” and concludes from this that the other side, meaning the parents of the boy who committed the killing, is behind it. Neither the police nor any other source has confirmed that. Informer writes in its headline that the Simics were questioned, but the text itself says only that they were summoned and informed of the complaint, with no description of any questioning.
Simic told reporters to take any other questions to the court, to avoid further trouble over talking to the media.
Why was the hearing postponed?
No official explanation appears in the available sources. Informer, citing unofficial information, reports that the hearing was supposed to include testimony from the neuropsychiatric experts who evaluated the defendants, and that it was postponed at the request of the defense, which wants to bring in expert associates. The city portal 018 does not mention a reason for the delay.
For Simic, this is part of a bigger picture. Outside the court he said:
“What we had claimed all along is exactly what is happening. A serious obstruction of this trial is under way, and I do not like it at all.”
He added: “The obstruction has started on every front, so nothing can surprise me anymore.” He also doubts that the November 2 hearing will take place.
This is not the first delay. On August 26, 2026, the trial was interrupted because five defense witnesses failed to appear, the expert evaluation had not arrived from Belgrade, and the defendant father of the boy did not show up either.
What are the parents charged with?
The trial of the parents began before the Higher Court in Nis on February 9. The indictment charges them with a serious offense against general safety as co-perpetrators, punishable by up to 12 years in prison, and with one count each of neglecting and abusing a minor, punishable by up to three years for each. No verdict has been issued.
According to the indictment, from July to October 5, 2023, in Niska Banja, they kept knives within reach of their underage son. On October 5, 2023, at the age of 13, the boy stabbed his schoolmate A. S. to death. Because of his age, he cannot be held criminally liable. The accused parents have stayed silent since the start of the proceedings.
In parallel, a separate case is under way before the Basic Court in Nis to strip the accused of their parental rights.
