Senior from Jihlava region sentenced to 17 years for shooting nephew in front of firefighters
The Regional Court in Olomouc upheld a 17-year sentence for a man who shot his nephew directly in front of firefighters and police officers who were responding to the scene. The court rejected a request to reclassify the act as manslaughter rather than murder.
Olomouc court upholds 17-year sentence for nephew's murder in Jihlava region
A senior from the Jihlava region will serve 17 years in prison for the murder of his nephew. According to ceskenoviny.cz, the Regional Court in Olomouc today upheld the sentence originally imposed by the Brno Regional Court.
The man shot his nephew on the street from close range — in front of firefighters and police officers who had arrived to fight a fire at a house which he himself had started. This occurred directly in front of the victim's mother's eyes. According to the court documents, the defendant said at the time of the act: "Drop dead you swine; you got what you wanted."
Video recording proved premeditation
Senate chair Vladislav Šlapák stated that video recordings from the scene of the crime demonstrated premeditation. "From the video recording it is evident that they are in verbal contact, subsequently the defendant steps back behind the firefighter's vehicle and after a certain period reaches under his jacket, pulls out a weapon, cocks it, approaches the victim and shoots," Šlapák described the course of the incident. The court therefore deemed the legal classification of murder with premeditation to be correct.
The defence sought to have the act reclassified as manslaughter with a lower penalty range, but the appellate court rejected this. Although the defendant was significantly disturbed according to the court, the act was committed out of revenge and anger.
Defence counsel: situational failure of a capable person
Defence counsel Pavel Hála described the defendant as a broken, invisible loner who cared for his parents. According to him, the act occurred in a cumulative situation — two weeks after the man's mother's death, with poor family relations also playing a role. "It was a situational failure of a deeply unhappy person," Hála said. According to him, the man deliberately set only the fire; the shooting itself he characterised as an unthinking and impulsive act.
The defendant himself stated to the court: "Hopelessness and despair drove me to a repugnant act, I ask for forgiveness, I regret it terribly. It was definitely not planned, I acted in a state of strong emotional disturbance."
Prosecutor: method of killing was part of considerations regarding sentence
Prosecutor Jaroslav Kouřil rejected the defence's arguments, stating that nothing extraordinary happened before the shot that would justify the act. "In my career I have not encountered a situation where, in the presence of police and the public, the perpetrator drew a weapon and killed someone like a dog. This method of killing was part of the considerations regarding the length of the sentence," Kouřil stated.
Heating payment dispute was the cause
The incident occurred last February. The previously unpenalised man had quarrelled with his sister and her thirty-five-year-old son over payment for heating. He then started a fire in his flat, packed weapons and cash, and left. However, he soon returned and reported the fire himself on the 112 emergency line. During the emergency response, he shot his nephew.
In addition to the 17-year prison sentence, the senior must pay four survivors a total of 7.25 million crowns as non-pecuniary damages.
Source: Google News CZ — Crime (cs)