Tartu court convicts man who committed murder as minor
A court has imprisoned a man for a homicide committed while he was still a minor.
The first-tier Tartu County Court on Friday sentenced 19-year-old Romet, whose full name for legal reasons cannot be given, to five years and close to four months' real prison time.
Romet was sentenced over the murder by stabbing of a 21-year-old Jõgeva man in November 2023. At the time of the act, Romet was a minor.
According to the indictment, Romet stabbed the victim with a bladed weapon twice in succession. The victim was able to block the first strike, but the second plunged into the chest, causing fatal injuries.
In deliberating the case, the court took the position that Romet had committed a crime categorized under the homicide section of the penal code. The main point of contention in court, however, was whether the accused had acted in self-defense.
The court took the position that it cannot be established that the victim had attacked Romet immediately before the incident, or that the defendant had needed to repel any imminent attack.
"Therefore, several reliable pieces of evidence do not confirm the defendant's version of the events. Above all, it has not been established that he received any injuries, nor did witnesses confirm the use of violence by the victim," the court stated.
It established during the criminal case that the defendant was the party who had sought contact with the victim, and he had also prepared by taking along an assault-defense bladed weapon, namely a karambit-type knife.
"Several pieces of evidence confirm that Romet had taken into account that the meeting with the victim could end in the use of violence," the court argued.
In the court's assessment, Romet committed the crime intentionally, so the court had no doubt that he had considered the possibility that the assault might prove fatal for the victim.
The court sentenced Romet to eight years in prison for the act committed, reduced by one third under the law as the case was heard via summary proceedings.
The time the young man had been held as a suspect was deducted from the sentence also, making the final incarceration time five years, three months, and 27 days.
In addition, the defendant has incurred €4523.69 in procedural costs.
The court ruling has not entered into force.
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Editor: Mirjam Mäekivi, Andrew Whyte
