Trials in high-profile murder cases from years ago are scheduled to begin in Warsaw courts in January. It is thanks to the work of investigators from the prosecutor's office and policemen from the X-Files. The case of the 2002 shooting in the Szemrana restaurant in Prague and the murder of a couple of German retirees in Siekierki in 2012 will come back to the docket. In the first case, the suspects were arrested after 21 years, in the second case, the breakthrough came after 10 years.
One of the cases that came before the Warsaw-Praga District Court is the murder of September 20, 2002 in a restaurant at Ząbkowska Street in Praga-Północ. At around 9 p.m., masked perpetrators carried out a planned execution of a person belonging to a rival criminal group. Shots were fired from automatic weapons. The perpetrators escaped.
Krzysztof K., pseudonym Spaniard, former bodyguard of Wariat, one of the bosses of the Wołomin gang, died on the spot.
– It was a revenge of the so-called the Grochów group for shooting one of its members in front of the gym in Tarchomin a few weeks earlier. A close friend of the detainees died then, the Warsaw Police Headquarters reported.
The perpetrators remained elusive for years, even though investigators determined the probable motive for the murder and named several people. However, they found no evidence and the proceedings were discontinued.
Detained after 21 years
The officers of the capital's X-Files, i.e. the team for undetected murders, together with the Warsaw Praga-Północ District Prosecutor's Office, returned to the investigation and, 21 years after the crime, in August 2023, they arrested the suspects.
KSP reported that one of them was hiding abroad.
– An international arrest warrant was issued for him. The suspect was detained in Ukraine. To bring him to justice in Poland, the consent of the Prosecutor General's Office of another country was required, KSP said.
In turn, another suspect was located and detained in Warsaw at his workplace.
Last year, an indictment in this case was submitted to the Warsaw-Praga District Court. Jakub G., ps. Kuba, and Jacek G., alias Gałus, were accused of having jointly and in concert murdered Krzysztof K., alias Spaniard, firing 10 gunshots. In turn, Konrad A., alias Gonzo was accused of facilitating the commission of crimes by, among other things, providing a firearm and providing a vehicle used in the murder.
Another gangster participated in the murder – Sultan S., who took his own life in 2006.
The perpetrators are in custody and waiting for the first court date, which is scheduled for Tuesday, January 7.
The murder of a couple of German retirees
Another case from years ago that will come before the Warsaw court is the case of the murder of a couple of German retirees in Siekierki in May 2012. The indictment in this case was sent to the District Court in Warsaw in October 2024. The court set the first hearing date for January 22.
According to the spokesman of the District Prosecutor's Office in Warsaw, Prosecutor Piotr Antoni Skiba, Zdzisław W. was accused of committing two murders using a 6.35 mm pistol, and he committed these acts in the conditions of returning to crime, i.e. recidivism.
“He was also accused of possessing a firearm without the required permit,” said prosecutor Skiba.
Source: KSP
They were going to Euro 2012
On May 19, 2012, in the Siekierki district of Warsaw, the body of a woman with gunshot wounds and a seriously injured man were found in a red camper parked nearby. 63-year-old Silke G. died from four shots to the head and chest. 62-year-old Peter H. was shot once in the head. Then the killer stabbed him in the neck. Peter H. went to hospital, but he could not be saved.
– During the proceedings, it was established that the victims of the crime were German citizens, retirees traveling around Europe, who were heading to Ukraine in connection with the upcoming Euro 2012 European football championship – said prosecutor Skiba.
He added that at the scene of the incident and in its immediate vicinity, investigators secured many traces and evidence, which were then subjected to analyzes and forensic tests.
– The discovery of (…) a glove among the victims' belongings was of crucial importance for the case black and red in color, which revealed the presence of a GSR particle with gunshot residues as well as DNA from the injured German citizen and DNA from a male, which came from a person other than the injured party – said prosecutor Skiba.
He emphasized that during the investigation, many witnesses were interviewed and various investigative versions were checked, including: a conflict over failed drug transactions in which the victims may have been involved, or a robbery with the use of a weapon and the execution of a serial killer.
The proceedings were discontinued. The breakthrough came after over 10 years
– The proceedings were initially discontinued due to the failure to detect the perpetrator of the crime. The breakthrough came after more than 10 years, in mid-2023, when, as a result of constant monitoring of the case by prosecutors from the District Prosecutor's Office in Warsaw and analytical and investigative activities undertaken by officers from the Tenth Archives of the Police Headquarters, the perpetrator of the crime was identified – said prosecutor Skiba.
He noted that the DNA profile found on the mentioned glove turned out to be consistent with the DNA of Zdzisław W., a journeyman tailor and bricklayer. The man had been convicted many times, and when the charges were presented, he was serving a prison sentence in Wrocław for attempting to murder his son. It was established that he was not deprived of his liberty on the day he committed the crimes he was accused of.
– During the investigation, the perpetrator consistently did not admit to committing the acts he was accused of and presented his defense. Polygraph examinations carried out with the consent of the suspect, i.e. using the so-called lie detector, strengthened the evidence pointing to the suspect's guilt in the crimes he was accused of, said prosecutor Skiba.
Author: mg
Source: PAP
Main photo source: KSP