Court rules 17-year prison sentence for man who killed a forest ranger in Romania

A court in Cluj ruled a prison sentence of 17 years and four months for the man who killed a forest ranger in the region of Maramures in 2019. The ruling is final, according to Digi24.

The violent death of forest ranger Liviu Pop happened in October 2019 when he responded to a call signalling an illegal logging activity in the forest he was supervising. He caught the defendant, whose name was not made public, stealing wood from a forest. The man attacked ranger Pop, took his rifle and killed him.

The man was caught almost a year after committing the crime, in August 2020. He was convicted on Friday, April 29, for killing an officer who was performing his duties, robbery and unlawful use of a weapon.

The case had a strong echo in Romania, triggering protests and demonstrations of solidarity with the victim's family. The ranger was married and had three children.

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