"Ribnikar" boy killer questioned: Alters statements, defends mother PHOTO

Blic reports that K.K. testified in court for a full five hours, and this time he defended his mother, who is accused of child neglect.

According to the newspaper, the boy killer, who fatally shot nine children and a school guard with his father’s gun, largely maintained the testimony he gave previously. However, this time his answers were more favorable to his parents—he adjusted his responses to defend them.

Specifically, according to Informer, he stated that his mother Miljana Kecmanović’s demands did not influence his decision to carry out the massacre on May 3, and that he only realized this now because he has matured.

During his previous testimony, when confronted with his parents, he had blamed them for his actions. Among other things, he said that his mother constantly yelled at him and pressured him to be the best, and that this affected him. He also said at the time that he would not have committed the murders if he had not had access to his father’s gun.

Earlier reports indicated that K.K. immediately upon taking the stand said he stood by everything he had stated during the previous trial.

After giving his testimony, the boy killer was returned to the hospital where he has been housed since the massacre at “Vladislav Ribnikar” Elementary School.

In this trial, which is being held against his parents Miljana and Vladimir Kecmanović, K.K. has the status of a victim and has the right to refuse to testify. No charges have been brought against him because he was a minor at the time he committed the crime.

The trial is closed to the public at the request of the Higher Public Prosecutor’s Office in Belgrade, in order to protect the interests of minors and the privacy of victims. The proceedings are being repeated because the Belgrade Court of Appeals annulled the first-instance verdict that sentenced the Kecmanovićs to long-term prison terms and ordered a retrial.

The next hearing is scheduled for May 11, when photographs and video footage are expected to be presented as evidence.