Updated / Friday, 19 Jun 2026 14:29
Mackenzie Michalski was reported missing after she failed to return to her Airbnb accommodation in Budapest in November 2024
A Hungarian judge presiding over the case of an Irish man charged with the manslaughter of a female American tourist in Budapest in November 2024 has adjourned the trial until 7 July.
The latest trial hearing took place today at the Metropolitan Court of Budapest.
Mackenzie Michalski, a 31-year-old nurse from the United States, was visiting Budapest and went missing on 4 November 2024.
Police arrested a 38-year-old Irish male suspect three days later.
The accused Irish man who cannot be named under Hungarian law has been held in police custody for the past 19 months, initially while police completed a 12-month investigation into the cause of Ms Michalski's death.
Last November, Budapest's Metropolitan Prosecutor's Office charged the accused with manslaughter, referred to as 'basic homicide' in Hungarian law, which means that no premeditation was involved.
The trial began in April this year.
Closing arguments from both the prosecution and the defence were expected to take place today but only the prosecution delivered its closing argument.
The defence lawyer requested to deliver his closing arguments at the next trial hearing.
The judge subsequently adjourned proceedings early and set 7 July as the next hearing date.
It is expected that the judge will deliver a verdict in the case on 7 July.
During today’s hearing, the defence lawyer requested that the court conduct a psychological evaluation of the deceased victim, which the judge refused.
According to the indictment, the defendant met Ms Michalski in a Budapest nightclub on the evening of 4 November 2024.
They had drinks at a bar and danced together and later went to the man's rented apartment in the city where the accused is alleged to have assaulted and strangled the woman during sexual intercourse.
After the victim's death, the accused told police that he cleaned the apartment, then bought a large suitcase in which he put the woman's body.
He then rented a car and drove with the suitcase to a wooded area near Lake Balaton, a two-hour drive south-west of Budapest and hid Ms Michalski’s body.
The accused maintains that Ms Michalski's death was accidental.
Requests for bail from his defence lawyer during pre-trial hearings and the trial itself have been denied by the court.
Budapest's Metropolitan Prosecutor's Office is seeking a prison sentence in the case without the possibility of parole.
In Hungary, the crime of manslaughter is punishable with a prison sentence of five to 15 years.
Read the full article at RTÉ News →
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