Axe murder in Ostrava on Christmas Eve: court imposes 15 years and 11 months
Ostrava regional court has sentenced a 58-year-old man to prison for the murder of an acquaintance with an axe on Christmas Eve. The motive was jealousy and drugs.
Ostrava court sentences Christmas Eve murderer to nearly 16 years
Ostrava regional court on Wednesday sent a 58-year-old man to prison for 15 years and 11 months for a murder committed last Christmas Eve, according to cnn.iprima.cz. The defendant beat his 54-year-old acquaintance to death with an axe, striking him at least eleven times — with both the blunt and sharp edges.
The motive was jealousy fuelled by massive consumption of narcotic substances, the court found. Before the crime, the defendant had used pervitin, marijuana, synthetic drugs and alcohol. He attacked his victim unexpectedly, without any previous argument.
"We believe it was jealousy, that he was jealous of our brother. He simply could not bear it," said Květoslava Botošová, the victim's sister, in an interview with CNN Prima NEWS.
Relatives clarified that the motive was not a woman, as is often the case in similar crimes, but unrequited love between men. According to the family, both the defendant and his victim were gay.
Family: "Christmas has ended for us"
While Christmas trees were lit up everywhere, the 54-year-old man from Ostrava lay with a smashed head in a pool of blood. The victim's family — seven sisters and a brother — are bearing the loss very heavily.
"The one who hurt him like that took away what was most precious to us," said another sister, Růžena Dostálová. "He was a man who helped everyone. Christmas has ended for us, we died with him," she added.
The defendant showed remorse in court and confessed to the crime. According to his words, the narcotic substances had clouded his mind.
Sentence adjusted due to release date
Police arrested the defendant on Christmas Eve itself. His defence counsel therefore asked the court not to impose the sentence in whole years — in the event of his future release right around Christmas time, the convicted man would have nowhere to stay or register his residence. The court granted this request and the verdict thus set the sentence at 15 years and 11 months.
The verdict is not yet final.
Source: Google News CZ — Crime (cs)