A Krakow court upheld a 15-year prison sentence for Marek T., who in 2001 murdered a saleswoman in one of the stores near Tarnów (Lesser Poland). The perpetrator struck the woman 21 times with a sharp instrument. He was arrested and put on trial thanks to the work of X-Files investigators. The verdict is final.
The final judgment against Marek T., accused of murdering a saleswoman, was passed on Tuesday before the Court of Appeal in Kraków.
T was accused of committing the murder with particular cruelty of 35-year-old saleswoman Teresa K.in connection with a robbery and as a result of motivation that deserves special condemnation, as well as abuse of a family member. The crime took place in Niedomice near Tarnów. The mystery of the woman's death after 21 years was solved by investigators from the police X-Files.
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A final verdict after a murder 23 years ago
In May 2024, the man was sentenced to 15 years in prison by the District Court in Tarnów. This verdict was appealed by the defense, which demanded his acquittal, as well as by the prosecutor's office, which requested a more stringent penalty and a 25-year prison term.
2001 murder verdict. From the left: judge Barbara Nita-Światłowska, judge Tomasz Szymański and judge Jacek PolańskiPAP/Łukasz Gągulski
However, the court decided to uphold the first instance verdict, which means that T. will spend 15 years behind bars. This judgment is final.
Judge of the Court of Appeal in Kraków, Tomasz Szymański, explained that the court had no doubts about Marek T's guilt. However, the dilemma was the amount of the penalty. The court indicated that 25 years in prison for the accused, who was not an adult at the time of the crime (he was 17 years old), would be the highest possible penalty and would correspond to a life sentence for an adult perpetrator.
During the proceedings, investigators found that the perpetrator had stolen a purse and a bottle of vodka from the shop run by the saleswoman. However, the court found that the murder was not motivated by robbery.
Marek TMałopolska police
Murder of a saleswoman in Niedomice
The case of the murder of 35-year-old Teresa K., which occurred in January 2001 in a store in a town near Tarnów, remained unsolved for years.
The body of a woman lying in a pool of blood was found by one of the customers.
According to investigators, on January 23, 2001, 35-year-old Teresa K. worked the second shift in a grocery and industrial store in a town near Tarnów. A few minutes before closing time, 17-year-old Marek T. came to the store. After making some small purchases, he returned to the store and struck the saleswoman several dozen times with a sharp and a blunt-edged instrument, which resulted in damage to, among others, larynx, trachea, common carotid artery, pleural cavities and lungs, fracture of the base of the skull, leading to death due to bleeding. The man stole a purse containing personal items, money and bottles of vodka, and then fled.
Marek T., who was legally sentenced on Tuesday, was arrested in 2022 thanks to the findings of police officers from the Lesser Poland X-Files. The perpetrator was identified, among others, genetic tests, during which DNA material was collected from 672 people. The trace left by the killer at the site was assessed as consistent with the genetic profile of Marek T., a resident of the Tarnów district.
Main photo source: Małopolska police