In the case of last year’s attack on the gymnasium in Spišská Stará Ves in the Kežmarok district, in which two women lost their lives, on Friday, the Special Criminal Court (ŠTS) in Pezinok played a record of the reconstruction of the crime. The defendant Samuel S. described the course of the act in the video directly in the gymnasium building. An expert subsequently commented on his description. In the videos, they also described the reconstruction from the point of view of the student who survived the knife attack. The trial is scheduled to continue on May 11.
- At the Specialized Criminal Court, they played the recording of the reconstruction of the attack by Samuel S..
- The defendant described the attack on the school representative and his classmates in detail.
- The expert partially confirmed Samuel’s statements, but he had a different opinion about some of them.
- The court rejected the request for release from custody due to the high risk of recidivism.
- The General Prosecutor’s Office found misconduct by schools and authorities in the transfer of the attacker.
Samuel S., indicted for the particularly serious crime of premeditated murder, partly completed, partly in the trial stage and partly in the preparation stage, explained how he attacked the school representative and subsequently his classmates. The expert confirmed some of his descriptions, while he had a different view on some. In the video, they also introduced the point of view of the student who survived the attack.
During the hearing, they also played audio messages of the defendant, which he sent to his friends before and after the crime. They also played videos from the Internet that Samuel S. had stored on his cell phone, depicting violent criminal activity. Although Samuel S. said that he “disgusted” such videos, his friend wanted him to send them to him, and because he wanted to keep his friend, he sent him the videos.
At the same time, the court rejected the defendant’s request for release from custody on Friday. He justified his decision by, for example, that for Samuel S., the risk of recidivism is as high as at the time of the act. The reasons for absconding custody also persist. The court also took into account the evaluation of the detention center. The defendant kept the deadline for comment. The prosecutor waived the right to file a complaint against this decision.
The attack, in which the deputy headmistress and a student died, took place on January 16, 2025. Another student was injured by the attacker. The suspect of the crime, an 18-year-old student at the time, was charged by the police with premeditated murder. The court decided to take him into custody. The General Prosecutor’s Office of the Slovak Republic found several shortcomings in connection with this tragic event. As recently as June 2025, she informed that the violations were recorded when the attacker transferred to another school, they occurred at both gymnasiums. She also revealed irregularities in the procedures of the labor, social affairs and family offices.
