A man walked out of a casino in Kavadarci alive, and never made it home. A year has passed, and yesterday the Basic Court in Kavadarci finally delivered its verdict: three men found guilty of murder, each sentenced to 10 years in prison. Thirty years in total for one life. Whether that is justice or accounting - the victim's family has its own opinion on that.

The incident happened on August 27, 2025, before 5 a.m., at the back entrance of a casino on “Nikola Minčev” Street in the centre of Kavadarci. According to the court, P.T. (43) had a verbal argument inside the casino with the three defendants - D.B. (27), M.Đ. (36) and D.S. (28), all from Kavadarci. The dispute continued outside, where the three physically attacked him and struck him with brass knuckles and kicks to the head and body.

The beating was so brutal that the injured man, trying to get back into the casino, lost consciousness. When the ambulance crew arrived - after a full 15 minutes - all they could do was pronounce him dead. The court established this was the criminal offence of murder under Article 123 of the Criminal Code. There was no admission of guilt; the convicted men had their detention extended.

The verdict is first-instance and an appeal has already been announced - but not by the defence. The Basic Public Prosecutor's Office said it is dissatisfied with the length of the sentence and will appeal. In other words, even the institution that prosecuted them thinks 10 years for a life is too little.

One question remains that no court answers: how does a verbal argument in a casino end with a dead man at the back entrance, and an ambulance arriving only after 15 minutes? The verdict locks up the defendants. But the story of how fast violence ignites in a single night - that stays open.