Štefan K., accused of murdering Nitra regional councillor László Basternak, a member of the Hungarian Coalition Party (SMK), may face a 25-year prison sentence or even life in prison, Police Corps Vice-president Michal Kopčík told a press conference on Monday, July 12, in Bratislava, the TASR newswire reported.
He specified that Basternak, formerly the mayor of the town of Hurbanovo, was murdered on Friday, July 9, at 9:05 p.m. with one gunshot to his head. The perpetrator hopped into his car and attempted to flee the scene, Kopčík added. However, Basternak's stepson fired 12 gunshots, hitting the murderer in the elbow. He then got out of the immobilised car and ran away, but the police caught up with him and arrested him on Saturday.
According to Kopčík, the murder was preceded by an incident on Thursday when an unknown offender attempted to enter the grounds of Basternak's property. It remains unclear whether this had something to do with Basternak’s murder a day later or the fact that Basternak's stepson had a gun ready.
In March an unidentified assailant attempted to kill Basternak as he was taking his dog for a walk. The bullet struck an iron gate, which saved Basternak's life. No arrests were made at that time.
Source: TASR
Compiled by Zuzana Vilikovská from press reports
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