A 38‑year‑old Polish teacher, Mariola M., stabbed an 11‑year‑old schoolboy to death in a school office on 25 April 2001, receiving a 25‑year sentence.
Background of the Relationship
Mariola M., a 38‑year‑old volleyball enthusiast from a small Podlaskie district, met the married Dariusz in 1997 and began an affair. He had a wife and two children, yet he planned to move away with Mariola.
Their liaison was opposed by Mariola’s mother and by Dariusz’s family, who intervened through probing her house, threatening her, and even dusting her apartment with ice. They also exchanged harassing phone calls and insults.
Days Leading to the Tragedy
On 25 April 2001 Mariola gathered a passport, health card, wallet, notebook, tissues, a letter‑opener knife with exposed blade and two extra blades, and went to a clinic only to leave for work. She took the teacher’s office key, inspected the cafeteria and the male restroom, and entered the office where she called for Dariusz’s 11‑year‑old son, Piotr.
After two boys brought Piotr to the office, Mariola attempted to engage him; he refused and called her a “ku***…”. She struck him and later fled, discovering by a student that blood was running from the door.
The Attack and Death
Mariola delivered a series of blows, primarily to Piotr’s neck and head, causing severe bleeding. He died from exsanguination and cardiac arrest. She also struck him on the back of the head with her right hand, and blood appeared around the office entrance.
A physical‑education teacher found Piotr unconscious, a large cut wound, the knife still in his body, and the boy’s body covered with a green cloth. The teacher’s staff later found the body, and Mariola fled the scene.
Arrest and Investigation
She escaped into a forest, washed her hands in a puddle, then bought underwear and a jacket. She discarded blood‑stained pants and wrote a letter to Dariusz blaming him. The following day she was arrested in Marki, near Warsaw.
Police examined fourteen of her bags; only one knife was found. Evidence indicated at least thirty blows, resulting in twenty‑two cut wounds on Piotr, with the fatal injuries being extensive neck and head lacerations.
Trial and Sentencing
The Białystok Court determined Mariola was legally sane with above‑average intelligence. On 15 February 2002 she was sentenced to 25 years imprisonment, with the judge noting that she mentally transferred her anger toward Dariusz onto his son.
The appellate court upheld the sentence, rejecting claims of premeditation, though it ruled the murder was committed in a state of intense emotional disturbance.
Current Status
Mariola remains in prison and is expected to be released in April 2025. In 2016 she applied for early release but was denied.