Siedlce court sentences Adam Cz. to 30 years in prison for fatal paramedic stabbing

Court ruling and sentencing

The Regional Court in Siedlce sentenced 60-year-old Adam Cz. to 30 years in prison on Monday, 5 October 2026. The judges found the defendant guilty of murder and attempted murder, ruling that both acts were committed with motivations deserving particular condemnation. The verdict concludes a five-month judicial process examining the lethal assault on emergency medical personnel responding to a call for assistance. In delivering the oral justification, presiding judge Anita Kowalczyk-Makuła referenced the extensive psychiatric examination conducted during the investigation.

An important piece of evidence in these proceedings was the opinion of expert psychiatrists and a psychologist, which was not issued after a one-off outpatient examination of the defendant during the investigation, but was an opinion issued by experts from the forensic psychiatry department of the hospital in Choroszcz.

Circumstances of the 2025 attack

The fatal incident took place on 25 January 2025 in an apartment on Sobieskiego Street in Siedlce. A gathering of six people was underway when the 59-year-old host fell, struck his head against a piece of furniture, and placed an emergency call for medical aid. Two paramedics, 64-year-old Cezary L. and Mateusz M., arrived at the scene to provide medical care. After assessing head trauma, the medical team informed Adam Cz. that he required transport to a hospital for further treatment.

Following the decision to hospitalize him, Adam Cz. seized knives in both hands and attacked the crew. He struck Cezary L. in the chest, inflicting deep wounds that caused the paramedic to die despite subsequent emergency resuscitation. Mateusz M. attempted to physically subdue the attacker and suffered knife wounds to his right wrist during the struggle. Investigators confirmed that Adam Cz. had a blood alcohol concentration of 2.0 per mille at the moment of the assault.

Trial findings and mental capacity

The criminal trial commenced before the Regional Court in Siedlce in May 2026. Prosecutors maintained that Adam Cz. acted with direct intent to kill while receiving the medical care he had personally requested. During the proceedings, Adam Cz. admitted his guilt before the court but stated that he had no recollection of the physical assault itself. The court examined assertions suggesting the defendant intentionally sought imprisonment, but judges found insufficient evidence to substantiate that claim.

The court relied on a month-long forensic psychiatric observation carried out at the psychiatric hospital in Choroszcz. The psychiatric and psychological experts determined that Adam Cz. suffered from neither a mental illness nor intellectual impairment. The forensic evaluation concluded that the defendant retained the full capacity to understand the meaning and consequences of his actions at the time of the fatal stabbing.

Reactions from medical personnel

The killing of Cezary L. led to protests across Poland among emergency responders and broader healthcare staff. Professional organizations pointed to vulnerabilities faced by medical crews during home interventions and demanded enhanced legal protections under the State Emergency Medical Services framework. The National Chamber of Paramedics issued a formal appeal addressed to the Minister of Health, the Minister of Justice, and the Minister of the Interior and Administration, demanding systemic reforms to prevent violence against on-duty medical crews.

The shocking act of violence crossed a boundary that no one should ever have crossed.