On Friday, 23 October, the trial of Karolina and Arkadiusz G., foster parents accused of killing a girl named Róża, opened at the Regional Court in Słupsk. The court closed the trial to the public in its entirety.
Karolina G. (26) and Arkadiusz G. (27) were brought to the hearing from detention. According to Głos Pomorza, the defendants face charges of abusing the girl and killing her with particular cruelty, as well as abusing an eight-year-old boy. Both were foster parents to the children.
Trial behind closed doors
The defence lawyers and the defendants themselves had requested that the proceedings be closed. They argued that the couple’s children were already facing hatred from the local community and that a public trial would expose them to ostracism. Prosecutor Magdalena Kasperska of the District Prosecutor’s Office in Słupsk opposed this, stating that the case of Róża’s death „is not a private tragedy.” The girl’s grandmother, who is taking part in the trial as a subsidiary prosecutor, also wanted the trial to be public. The court nevertheless closed the proceedings in full.
The case is being heard by a five-judge panel presided over by Judge Aldona Chruściel-Struska, as Dziennik Bałtycki had previously reported.
What the prosecution alleges
According to the indictment, the killing was allegedly the consequence of abuse, causing grievous bodily harm, and failing to provide the child with timely medical assistance. The girl died on 9 May 2025. Radio Gdańsk reports that she had third-degree burns covering about 80 percent of her body. Prosecutor Kasperska noted in the courtroom that the scalding had occurred several days before an ambulance was called, and that the child arrived at the hospital dead. The defendants reportedly claimed at that time that the girl’s condition was serious because she had scalded herself while bathing.
The defendants deny guilt. In their statements they describe an unfortunate accident. The charges carry a possible life sentence. They remain in custody. The presumption of innocence applies.
The girl’s age
Most reports describe the child as just under three years old, while some media outlets say she was four. The court or prosecutor’s office will confirm her age in an official statement.
What comes next
Because the proceedings are closed, information from future hearings will be limited. As of publication, no date for the next hearing had been announced.
