The circuit court found that the earlier punishment did not correspond to the severity of the crime and the perpetrator's person and that the Pärnu County Court failed to consider as an aggravating circumstance the fact that Tarraste's offense met several criteria of what constitutes criminal conduct.

According to the charges, Tarraste murdered two people, injured five and placed an undetermined number of lives at risk with his subsequent actions, in addition to causing material damage. He is found to have placed in jeopardy the lives of at least 17 people two of whom were young children and none of whom he knew personally.

"Because the act was unexpected, remains inexplicable also for the accused who only pleaded guilty in part, it is impossible to rule out such unexpected acts being committed in the future. This makes it impossible to credibly predict what kind of punishment would better help avoid future offenses," the court noted.

Tarraste on June 6, 2020 opened fire on a motorcyclist and two passenger vehicles carrying a total of nine people. The motorcyclist was killed while the occupants of the two cars were unscathed.

When attempting to return to his property, he then opened fire on a vehicle traveling in the opposite direction on the Tuudi-Raudtee road, killing one in the vehicle, a woman, and injuring three others, including two children.

The accused then remained at the scene when paramedics, police officers and others arrived, opening fire again, before continuing on foot towards his home.

The circuit court decision can be appealed in the Supreme Court inside 30 days.

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