Milan J., the 52-year-old man on trial for killing three people and seriously injuring two others, all of them Roma, in Hurbanovo last year, acted in a state of “reduced sanity”, according to medical experts who recommended that he be treated in hospital. The experts did not comment on a possible racial motive for his actions, the Sme daily reported on March 27.
“This fact will have an impact on the proposed punishment,” said special prosecutor Ján Hrivnák, as quoted by Sme, after a hearing of experts which took place on March 26.
According to the expert opinion, the gunman seemed to be normal person, but in inside he was suppressing rage and frustration that he had not been able to deal with “maladjusted Roma”. This pressure, which was not noticed by anyone living in his environment, resulted in the massacre, the experts concluded. One of them, Miroslav Čerňan, said that hospitalisation might reduce the risk of a relapse, Sme wrote.
The experts said that the former police officer did not know what he was doing when he was shooting, adding that they could not say what had sparked his actions, Sme reported.
Earlier in the week Milan J. did not deny the account of events presented by the prosecutor, who said that on June 16, 2012 he had shot the victims, who were all members of the same family, the SITA newswire reported.
The former police officer faces 25 years to life in prison for the shooting. The prosecutor will propose the length of the punishment after summing-up that should take place on March 27.
Sources: Sme, SITA
For more information about this story please see: Specialised Criminal Court will deal with Hurbanovo shooter case
Compiled by Radka Minarechová from press reports
The Slovak Spectator cannot vouch for the accuracy of the information presented in its Flash News postings.
