Teenager charged with peer’s murder to remain in custody for two more months

A 15-year-old boy accused of murdering his 15-year-old peer in Vilnius will remain in pretrial detention for another two months, the Vilnius Regional Court ruled on Thursday, LRT reports.

The court granted the prosecution’s request in full, extending the suspect’s detention—the strictest preventive measure—until June 3. The decision may still be appealed to the Lithuanian Court of Appeal.

“The detention period was extended to ensure the suspect’s uninterrupted participation in the proceedings,” court representative Lina Nemeikaitė told ELTA news agency. The two-month term is the maximum allowed for a minor under Lithuanian law; adults may be held for up to three months.

Detention may be prolonged if the suspect is deemed a flight risk, likely to obstruct justice, or poses a danger of reoffending. The boy has been in custody since August 2025, shortly after the crime occurred.

The case centers on the brutal killing of a 15-year-old in Vilnius’s Žvěrynas district. The victim’s body parts were found in a waste container and a nearby wooded area on August 2, 2025, after his mother reported him missing. The suspect, also 15 at the time, was arrested the following day.

Under Lithuanian law, minors as young as 14 can be prosecuted for murder, with a maximum sentence of 10 years’ imprisonment. If convicted, the suspect’s time in pretrial detention will count toward his sentence.

The next hearing is scheduled for April 24. Due to the involvement of minors, proceedings are closed to the public.