Bloody baptisms: a man knocked out in front of children lay unconscious in a blood clan

Through the hair of murder

On August 17, 2019, the participants of the christening party in Vilkaviškis probably did not even think that the celebration would end with a bloodshed that would irreversibly change the lives of two young men.

One will have to endure great pain and complicated head surgeries, he will lose his job. And another representative of the sports force who injured him will receive a sentence from the Kaunas Regional Court, will be sent to a correctional center for two years and will have to pay more than 12 thousand. estimated damage

This story seems to have ended quite happily. Airidas Jurkšaitis, who knocked out an unknown person with a single blow to the head, was tried only for a serious health disorder due to hooligan incentives. If a person had died after this, the blow of a trained athlete, which often occurs in similar situations, the consequences and punishment would be completely different.

However, even in this case, the man who had suffered a violent attack and fell to the ground on the asphalt after a powerful blow to the face, had to endure a lot. He was diagnosed with fractures of the jaw, nose, and eye sockets, and the man was only able to eat liquid food through a straw for about 8 weeks. Even after that he was unable to chew normally, the taste receptors were missing, the person did not smell for a while. He was dizzy for a long time, unable to work, and eventually lost his job in Ireland.

Alcohol and hostile looks at family parties

Without mutual knowledge, A. Jurkšaitis and Rasius A. met on August 17, 2019 at the “Topolis” entertainment center located on Vienybės Street in Vilkaviškis.

The christening of the daughter of Rasius’ wife’s cousin was held there, and some 40 people attended the party. A. Jurkšaitis did not belong to this circle of relatives, but he came to the party with his friend, whose cousin is the mother of a baptized girl.

According to the case, the two men did not communicate during the party, sitting far apart. It is no secret that such celebrations are seldom made without alcohol, and it seems that it did not play the last role in the bloody culmination of baptism.

A. Jurkšaitis later recalled that during the celebration Rasius, who was much older, “looked at him strangely, with dissatisfaction, looked at him and smiled wryly.” However, these statements could only be an attempt to justify his difficult-to-understand behavior, which led him to banking.

The conflict started with singing.

The baptismal party culminated violently after midnight, around 2 a.m., when the guests began to separate. Rasius, who was happy, left the Topolis entertainment center with other people. The man sang along with other guests, and while walking, he found himself next to A. Jurkšaitis, who was standing outside and waiting for a car.

He later testified that the older man who drank the alcohol was very intrusive, “flexing between people as if singing.”

“When he got close to me, he started singing right in front of his face. I told him to represent, not to cling to people, that saliva dripped from his face. ” A. Jurkšaitis presented his version of the beginning of the bloody conflict to investigators.

Witnesses also confirmed that a person who was drinking alcohol and was happy could get too close to A. Jurkšaitis without singing.

According to A. Jurkšaitis, an oral conflict started after this observation. Together with a friend, an athlete who attended the christening of the daughter of his relatives, the phrase, which later sounded in the mouth of a stranger, was so enraged that he committed an act difficult to understand and won the first sentence and the actual imprisonment of their life.

“What, old man, are you tired of living?”

When two men, who had never met before, tasted alcohol in the field, other guests reassured them at the baptismal party, who simply separated them. Later, one of the witnesses recalled the following phrases pronounced by A. Jurkšaitis: “who is too lonely?”, “What, are you tired of living old?”

When asked if he was tired of living, Rasius A. reacted very calmly, just shook his hand and pulled towards the car parked next to him. Admittedly, walking away, he repeated the word uncensored to A. Jurkšaitis twice, which is insultingly called gay men.

This word became the cause of a bloody attack. An offended A. Jurkšaitis jumped off the podium he was standing on, rushing with his fist and hitting Rasius A., who was turning to his right side of the face.

The blow was extremely strong and, according to witnesses, was concentrated. The man immediately fell facedown on the asphalt and, unconscious, lay down in a clan of blood.

“Someone put the victim on his side so that he would not drown in blood. A witness called those around him to call an ambulance, and Rasius’s son began to scream that his father was dead, “the case file said.

After knocking the man down, A. Jurkšaitis ran to the nearby car and sat inside. In court, he claimed it was an old taxi and his driver would not allow him to leave, but other participants in the celebration denied the version.

“The witness came and asked where he was running, explaining that he would not run away. Then A. Jurkšaitis, getting out of the car, asked threateningly:” What did you say? “She left in fear, and the accused left in the car It was not a taxi, “says the case file.

He visited his victim in the hospital.

A. Jurkšaitis, who shot down the man, left the scene of the crime and left a friend with whom he came to celebrate the baptism of his cousin’s daughter.

The summoned police officers quickly identified the identity of the suspect, tried to search for him at night, but could not find him. Only the next day, after learning of the consequences of a blow to the face of a person, he himself went to the Kaunas clinics, where Rasius A was laid down.

The victim’s wife later recalled that the husband’s abuser came to apologize, but acted rudely, explaining that not only he was the culprit, but also Rasius, who insulted him. According to the woman, there were no sincere apologies.

After court experts declared that the injuries sustained after the impact were serious and life-threatening, A. Jurkšaitis was charged with hooligan incentives for seriously disturbing human health.

After the case was transferred to the Kaunas Regional Court, A. Jurkšaitis did not deny his guilt, he had already managed to compensate his victim for part of the damage: he paid 5,000. euros

The athlete who hit his head had to realize what he was doing.

During the investigation of the case, it was established that Rasius A. suffered multiple head injuries due to two traumatic effects: a blow to the face and a fall on the asphalt.

“There is a direct causal link between the defendant’s actions, that is, hitting the victim in a place that is life-threatening: the head and the subsequent fall and face to the hard, blunt and flat surface and the consequences, that is, multiple facial fractures and other injuries found in the expert’s report. Such consequences were the result of a sufficiently strong intentional blow, from which Rasius A. even fell, these consequences are legal, “the court stated.

Attention was also paid to the fact that A. Jurkšaitis actively participates in sports, is physically strong and hits a person in the face with particularly strong force, accelerating. According to the court, being an experienced athlete and knowing his physical abilities, he definitely realized what he was doing in the head.

Furthermore, the person who had been practicing strength sports for several years (a fact admitted by the accused) was beaten, so he really realized that due to such a concentrated and strong blow to the head area, he was injured, that is, with even more energy. ” you can pass out, fall (head or head) on hard pavement and get injured, “said Evaldas Gražys, judge in the Criminal Cases Division of the Kaunas Regional Court, who examined the case,

Attention was also paid to the way A. Jurkšaitis behaved after this bloody attack on the stranger who had offended him.

“Seeing that the person had passed out, he was bleeding, not only did he not care for the victim, he did not help reduce the consequences, he did not pay attention to injuries, he did not call an ambulance, but he quickly left the scene,” the court said.

The man was attacked when the conflict ended

The court recognized that the offensive and uncensored word spoken twice against A. Jurkšaitis could have captured and offended him.

“However, such victim actions were certainly not a reason to use violence, especially against a person who has already left. In essence, A. Jurkšaitis, using a petty excuse, disregarding elementary standards of morality and behavior, demonstrated their superiority both over a specific person and those around them. There is no doubt that the defendant had a good understanding of the illegality of his actions, the hooligan nature of them, “the ruling says.

According to the court, when asking the victim “who is alone?”, A. Jurkšaitis showed a derogatory attitude towards those around him, compared himself to the festival participants, although the woman who participated in the festival calmed him down and explained that “everyone is here”.

In addition, Rasius A. spoke the word of the athlete who had participated in the baptism of the daughter of a relative of a friend while walking to the car.

“It just came to our attention then. However, defendant A. Jurkšaitis, shouting” what, you are tired of living old, “reached for the victim and hit him.

The defendant’s hostility and derogatory attitude towards society is also confirmed by his behavior after the incident, when witnesses displayed hostility and aggression towards the witness to prevent A. Jurkšaitis from leaving the scene. There is no doubt that such conduct of the accused was contrary to the rules of public conduct, the uncensored words used were only an insignificant pretext and a trivial reason for their hooligan incentives to be formed and expressed, “the court ruled.

Sentenced to a minimum of two years in prison.

The court also assessed the fact that this was the first confrontation with Temide by A. Jurkšaitis, who had seriously injured a person; Until now, he had not been administratively convicted or punished.

In the mitigating circumstances of his guilt, it was recognized that he had initially pleaded guilty, regretted it and had already compensated the person attacked for the damage, 5,000. He also paid the sickness fund for his treatment.

“The nature of the violence used by the accused is also taken into account: there was a blow, but a strong and concentrated one, the victim of this blow even fell, hitting his face against a hard pavement.

It is also evaluated that the victim has recovered substantially from the injuries suffered and that such injuries did not have irreversible long-term consequences. These circumstances allow us to conclude that the criminal act was committed more accidentally, it was not a consequence of the behavior and previous lifestyle of A. Jurkšaitis.

Taking all this into account, the accused must be sentenced to the minimum prison provided for in the sanction, “Kaunas District Court Judge E. Gražys said in the sentence.

By a judgment of June 29, 2020, the Kaunas Regional Court sentenced A. Jurkšaitis to two years in prison at a correctional facility. In fact, it is the most lenient punishment that the Penal Code provides for serious health disorders from hooligan incentives. This crime is punishable by two to ten years in prison.

Dainius Gudas, a lawyer who defended A. Jurkšaitis, told Delfi portal that, in his opinion and that of his client, this punishment is too severe. The lawyer mentioned that he would appeal the verdict and request for the first time that the convicted person be sentenced to a non-custodial sentence.

“It just came to our attention then. Furthermore, since he will have to compensate the victim for the damages awarded by the court. When he is free, he could work and pay for it,” said the lawyer.

For the lived experiences – 8 thousand. euros

After the baptismal party, Rasius A., who was brutally beaten and treated for a long time, estimated the property damage suffered at 9,000. 315 euros. In the lawsuit, he stated that he had lost a lot of money because he had been sick for a long time, was unable to work, and filed an employment contract with the court that proves it.

Since A. Jurkšaitis has already paid 5,000 to the beaten man. The court decided to reduce the amount of material damage to 4 thousand euros. 608 euros.

Rasius A. estimated the suffering suffered in 10 thousand. euros In the lawsuit, he stated that he had experienced great spiritual experiences, emotional shock and stress, anxiety about the future, suffered physical pain, experienced discomfort: he could not eat and was fed, he did not smell for long, he did not feel the taste, dizzy.

The court partially satisfied the claim for compensation for non-pecuniary damage and awarded victim LTL 8,000 to A. Jurkšaitis. euros The convicted person was also ordered to pay his victim 800 euros for the costs incurred by the lawyer.

Until the damage is fully compensated to the victim, the court kept a temporary restriction on the funds in A. Jurkšaitis’s bank account, allowing only 400 euros to be used per month.

This judgment of the Kaunas Regional Court can be appealed to the Lithuanian Court of Appeal within 20 days. Arūnas Sakalauskas, the lawyer representing the victim in the case, mentioned that the lawsuit was largely satisfied, so he did not promise to appeal the verdict.