Families and friends of a young man named Alexandru testified at a Bizkaia Court hearing regarding the brutal attack that left him in a vegetative state. The mother of the victim spoke of the moment she learned the extent of her son’s injuries and asked why the assailants struck so violently. She described seeing a life that was once healthy diminished to a fragile condition, and she recalled the doctors saying there was no chance for recovery beyond the bed, a diagnosis that has weighed heavily on the family ever since.
The trial focused on events that occurred in a park in Amorebieta-Etxano, a Biscayan municipality, during a single night. A group of men aged from mid-teens to late thirties, who for a time called themselves the Koala Brothers, assaulted the young man in a group melee, leaving him unconscious after a series of blows. The attack involved sticks, bottles, and a flurry of punches and kicks that astonished onlookers and shocked the community.
Alexandru, then 23, suffered severe injuries from the assault, which included multiple blows from at least twenty individuals. The violence resulted in a coma and ongoing serious pain as the family now contends with chronic disability and long-term care obligations. This case represents the second court proceeding linked to the same violent incident, with eight minors already sentenced in a prior phase for participating in the attack.
The victim’s parents reported receiving a proposed compensation of 840,000 euros to help cover the costs and burdens of caregiving. They have expressed that this amount does not reflect the full impact of the tragedy, insisting that it does not restore life or the capacity to regain prior function. The mother lamented that there is no life for either herself or her son under the current circumstances.
In the courtroom, seven adults who came of age during the first session faced a prosecutor who sought a combined sentence of fourteen years and eight months. The defense pointed to two younger defendants who had been convicted of attempted murder; those two admitted to impaired memory of the events due to intoxication but did not offer a clear account of how the incident began or why it escalated to such violence.
During the proceedings, the parties reviewed several recordings uploaded by defendants to social networks. A 50-second clip captured the attack and the image of the victim unconscious at the conclusion of the assault. Prosecutors noted that the same night, other videos depicted additional violent acts against different individuals, illustrating a broader pattern of behavior documented online by the group.
None of the defendants reported knowing the victim nor did they observe the initial provocations that allegedly led to the attack. None admitted to striking Alexandru, despite acknowledging that they witnessed the incident, and there was no explanation of why the violence occurred. The defendants also did not call for emergency assistance as the victim lay severely injured, a failure that raised questions about their sense of responsibility in a crisis.
The attorney representing the victim’s family characterized the group’s conduct as the actions of a criminal gang that used force and intimidation, attacking others in addition to Alexandru. He rejected the notion that the Koala Brothers were merely a social media collective or a casual WhatsApp group, arguing instead that their online presence and the violent behavior displayed in videos indicated coordinated, malevolent activity. The defense contended that the group did not constitute a structured organization, but the family’s counsel maintained that the behavior resembled organized criminal activity and violence that extended beyond a single night.
In the footage, one defendant is seen reaching into the victim’s pocket while the person filming the attack refuses to identify himself as responsible, later dismissing the act with a claim of innocence. The statement of the accused in the video, comparing the act to an unpleasant moment rather than a deliberate crime, did not alleviate the serious questions surrounding accountability for the injuries inflicted on Alexandru. The recordings also documented the absence of any action to assist the victim as the situation deteriorated, prompting scrutiny of the defendants’ sense of social responsibility and duty to help others in danger.
The days ahead will bring further testimony as investigators from the Ertzaintza, the regional police, continue detailing their work on the case. The proceedings aim to establish a clear timeline, determine individual responsibility, and assess the extent of the harm caused to Alexandru, with a focus on ensuring accountability and a fair consideration of medical and social costs borne by the family.