Priest Charged with Brutal Killing of Homeless Man in Lasopole: Axe Attack, Then Body Set on Fire

A parish priest from Przypki has been charged with murder with particular cruelty after allegedly killing and burning a 68-year-old homeless man.

Details of the Tragic Incident

Investigators established that on 24 July, at around 10 p.m., a witness noticed the burning body of a man on a side road in Lasopole. A off-road vehicle was standing nearby and drove away without its lights on. Police traced the vehicle through its registration plates and reached the rectory in Przypki, where parish priest Mirosław M. was detained.

Findings of the Prosecutor's Office

• The victim was 68-year-old Anatol Cz., a homeless man known to the priest
• The expert found burns covering 80% of the body and head wounds caused by a sharp instrument
• An object that may be an axe and the suspect’s vehicle were secured at the scene

Motive and the Priest's Confession

Questioned under Article 308 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, Mirosław M. admitted to striking the victim several times with an axe, pouring a flammable liquid over the body and setting it on fire. The reason was reportedly a quarrel with the victim..

Legal Consequences

The District Prosecutor’s Office in Grójec:

• has charged the priest with murder with particular cruelty – Article 148 §2 point 1 of the Criminal Code
• has announced a motion for pretrial detention
• the offence carries a sentence of 15 years’ imprisonment to life imprisonment

Key Dates

Reactions in the Local Community

Residents of Przypki and parishioners are in shock. Many stress that the priest had until now been seen as helpful. The commune has provided psychological support for parishioners. Police are appealing for witnesses who may have seen the priest or the victim on the day of the incident.

Investigators are awaiting:

• results of detailed examinations of the secured items
• analysis of CCTV footage from nearby properties
• full results of the autopsy, which will confirm the sequence of events

The proceedings will establish whether the priest acted impulsively or with premeditation. Court rulings may take months, but the case already raises questions about oversight and psychological support for clergy working with marginalised people.

Official Prosecutor's Statement of 25 July 2025

On 25 July 2025, the District Prosecutor’s Office in Grójec opened an investigation into the killing of a man committed on 24 July 2025 in Lasopole, Chynów commune, Grójec county, by striking him on the back of the head and then pouring a flammable substance over his body and setting it on fire, i.e. an offence under Article 148 § 1 of the Criminal Code. 

According to the findings so far, the incident occurred late in the evening of 25 July 2025 on a rarely used road. At around 10 p.m., a witness cycling past noticed a high fire. It turned out that the body of a man was lying in the flames. Nearby was a parked off-road vehicle, which unexpectedly drove away without its dipped headlights on. Emergency services called to the scene were unable to save the man’s life. Based on the registration numbers, police officers identified the vehicle and its owner. They went to the village of Przypki, Tarczyn commune, Piaseczno county, to the buildings of the local rectory, where they detained Mirosław M., the parish priest.

The deceased victim was Anatol Cz. A 68-year-old homeless man, well known to the perpetrator.

On the day of the incident, under the supervision of a prosecutor, an examination of the body and of the place where it was found was carried out. An object that may have been the murder weapon was secured for further testing. Based on the autopsy results, the cause of death was determined. In the expert’s assessment, the cause was intravital burns covering 80% of the body surface. The victim also had head injuries caused by a heavy tool with a sharpened edge, which may also have contributed to death. In connection with the incident, officers of the Grójec County Police Headquarters and the Radom Voivodeship Police Headquarters carried out searches and detailed inspections of the rectory premises. The vehicle of the detained man was secured for further examination.

Mirosław M., questioned as a suspect under Article 308 of the Code of Criminal Procedure at the Grójec County Police Headquarters, admitted to killing the victim, i.e. an offence under Article 148 § 1 of the Criminal Code, and indicated his motives. He stated that before the killing, a quarrel took place between him and the victim. 

It has been established that the suspect struck the victim several times on the head with an axe, then poured a flammable liquid over his body and set it on fire. 

Tomorrow, the prosecutor will issue a decision to present Mirosław M. with a charge of committing murder of the victim with particular cruelty  – i.e. an offence under Article 148 § 2 point 1 of the Criminal Code – and will announce it and question Mirosław M. as a suspect. In this case, the prosecutor will file a motion with the court for pretrial detention of Mirosław M.

The suspect faces a penalty of 15 years’ imprisonment to life imprisonment.

Prosecutor Aneta Góźdź

Press Spokesperson of the District Prosecutor’s Office in Radom. 

Update: Official Statement from the Archdiocese of Warsaw

Sisters and Brothers,

I have no words of comfort for you today, and even less any explanation or justification. I am crushed and devastated by the news that one of my priests brutally murdered a man – poor and homeless. I have no answer to any question beginning with the word: “why?”.

I ask all priests of the Archdiocese of Warsaw to undertake personal penance and prayer of atonement today. Next Sunday, let us do this together – after every Holy Mass throughout the Archdiocese. The blood of the murdered brother cries out to God. Let us beg God for forgiveness – and let us beg people for forgiveness. I myself beg for it.

Let us also pray for the late Mr. Anatol and for his loved ones.

The Archdiocese of Warsaw will fully cooperate with law enforcement authorities to clarify all the circumstances of this crime. All necessary canonical procedures will also be initiated.

As the bishop of the Church in Warsaw, I feel morally responsible for everything that happens in this Church – both good and bad. Also for this terrible crime. I apologise to you.

† Adrian Galbas

Metropolitan Archbishop of Warsaw

source: https://archwwa.pl/aktualnosci/slowo-abp-adriana-galbasa-w-zwiazku-z-ustaleniami-prokuratury-okregowej-w-radomiu/