"Maximilian was abused for a long time." Convicted after the murder of a 6-year-old

Daniel S. will be able to apply for early, conditional release from prison only after serving 40 years of imprisonment. The judgment is not final. The defendants were not in court when the verdict was announced.

No extenuating circumstances

The prosecutor's office from Zduńska Wola accused 29-year-old Daniel S. of abusing and murdering his partner's six-year-old son. The boy's 32-year-old mother was accused of abusing her son, failing to help him and endangering the child's life.

The presiding judge, Judge Jacek Wojdyn, while justifying the judgment, said that there were too many aggravating circumstances in this case. He added that it was rare that no mitigating circumstance could be found that would put the accused in a better light.

The accused is an extremely demoralized person, and the act he committed is of such gravity and was committed in such circumstances that only an elimination penalty is appropriate in this case - the judge justified.

He added that the evidence is shocking not only because it concerns the crime of murder, but also because the victim is a six-year-old child who was abused.

A hungry, defenseless child in a darkened apartment

Referring to the evidence collected during the investigation, he said that the accused's actions began with verbal and psychological violence, harassing the child, insulting him and threatening him that he would be left alone.

The child was not seen at kindergarten and was not seen by neighbors. The boy was left for long hours in a closed apartment, with the blinds closed and the furniture moved so that no one would notice what was happening in the apartment and the case would not be revealed. It was hungry and defenseless, said the judge.

He added that the evidence showed that Maksymilian had been abused for a long time, as evidenced by his injuries.

The day of the murder

The child's death occurred in May 2025 in an apartment occupied by the accused couple in Zduńska Wola. According to investigators' findings, Daniel S., from March to May 7 this year, mentally and physically abused his partner's son, repeatedly humiliating the boy, intimidating him, insulting him, leaving him alone and unattended, tugging at his clothes, pushing and repeatedly beating him with his fist or hand, which caused numerous injuries to the child.

Describing the tragic day when the boy died, the judge said that according to the evidence, the defendant had beaten the boy, punching him in the face with such force that it caused injuries that were unusual even for the pathologist who examined the boy's body. While leaving, he kicked the boy in the head and treated the wounds with paracetamol. In addition, he did not allow the boy's mother to approach her son to check how he was feeling.

The accused left the severely beaten child alone and did not provide him with help. At that time, he and the boy's mother went to another city to buy drugs.

According to the indictment, on May 6 and 7, the man - acting with the intention of possibly taking Maksymilian's life, anticipating this possibility and agreeing to it - used drastic physical violence against him without any reason. It led to severe cranio-cerebral injuries in the child, damage to the central nervous system and ultimately to his death.