Polish builder gets 30 years for killing 6 on British island of Jersey

USPA News - A Polish builder who stabbed six people to death on the Channel Island of Jersey last year was sentenced Monday to a total of 30 years in prison, prosecutors said. Among the victims were his wife, his two young children and a friend`s daughter.

The murders happened on August 14, 2011, when police were called to a street in Saint Helier, the capital of Jersey, after receiving a phone call about a stabbing incident. Responding officers found people had been stabbed on both the street and inside a flat, and five victims were pronounced dead at the scene. A sixth victim died later while undergoing surgery at St Helier Hospital. Damian Rzeszowski, now 31, was also seriously injured and taken into police custody at the General Hospital. Later charged with the six deaths, prosecutors believe Rzeszowski had become depressed and carried out the brutal murders after his wife admitted to having an affair. During a trial in August, Rzeszowski was found guilty of six counts of manslaughter with diminished responsibility. The victims were previously identified as his 30-year-old wife Izabela Rzeszowska, his 5-year-old daughter Kinga Rzeszowska, his 2-year-old son Kacper Rzeszowski, his 56-year-old father-in-law Marek Garstka, 34-year-old family friend Marta de la Haye, and Marta`s 5-year-old daughter Julia. A judge sentenced Rzeszowski to 30 years in prison for each of the murders, but all are to run concurrently. "[This] sentence brings to conclusion criminal proceedings following the two-week trial in August following the tragic events a year earlier here in Jersey," said States of Jersey Police Detective Superintendent Stewart Gull, who led the investigation. "No sentence will ever bring back the loved ones who tragically lost their lives on that Sunday afternoon. Our thoughts and support remain with the families who now continue to try and re-build their lives." Jersey is a British island off the coast of Normandy, France and has a population of more than 92,000. Together with Guernsey, the islands form the group known as the Channel Island.