Murder of teacher in Gelnice: Husband killed her 11 days after early release from prison
A 47-year-old teacher from Gelnice died following a knife attack. Her husband had been released from serving his sentence early only days before.
Murder of teacher in Gelnice: Husband killed her 11 days after early release from prison
On Saturday 20 June, a fatal attack occurred in a family home in Gelnice. Tomáš V. attacked his wife Zuzana, a 47-year-old teacher. The woman sustained stab wounds to which she succumbed on the spot. The perpetrator fled the scene, but police subsequently tracked him down.
The investigation revealed that violent behaviour towards the victim was not an isolated incident. In February of this year, the man, under the influence of alcohol, attacked the same woman, grabbed her by the throat and threatened to kill her. The court sentenced him to eight months in prison and ordered outpatient alcohol treatment.
However, he served only four months of the sentence. He was released early for good behaviour. He had been free for only eleven days when he killed his wife. If the court can prove his guilt, he faces 15 to 20 years of imprisonment. A decision on remand will be made on Tuesday 23 June.
The victim's employer, the school where she taught, announced her death on social media. On the day of the funeral, the school declared a day off by the headmaster's order. In discussions beneath the post, information emerged that the woman had requested a protective order from the court. The regional court in Košice has no record of such a filing; a spokesperson did not rule out that it could have been a motion submitted to the district court.
Local residents described the couple as long problematic. The man allegedly repeatedly threatened his partner. One of the neighbours mentioned that tragic events had occurred in the family—the perpetrator's mother committed suicide and his brother attempted to do so.
A colleague of the murdered woman wrote on the internet that the woman lived with a tyrant who was supposed to protect her. According to her account, the court rejected her request for a restraining order, thereby downplaying her concerns. Denník N noted that it is not known whether the motion was filed after her husband's release, nor the reasons for the court's decision.
The mayor of Gelnice, Dušan Tomaško, who knew the victim, said the tragedy deeply affected the entire town. "We are a small community where everyone knows each other. This has affected all of us," he said.
The non-profit organisation Fenestra, focused on protecting women from violence, told Korzár that domestic violence is not an isolated outburst of anger. It is behaviour that gradually worsens, which the system must be able to recognise. According to the organisation, institutions should use all legal tools, including restraining orders and electronic monitoring. At the same time, it warned that the approach of authorities is not uniform and varies by region, which endangers the safety of victims.
Source: TA3
Source: Google News SK — Crime (sk)