Roman Horáček (1969–2006) was a Czechoslovak serial killer who murdered three women in his hometown of Litoměřice between 1990 and 1991, one of which he was linked to via DNA after but never convicted.
Roman Horáček | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1969 |
| Died | April–July 2006 (aged 37) |
| Cause of death | Undetermined, considered a homicide |
| Conviction(s) | Murder x2 |
| Criminal penalty | 15 years imprisonment |
| Details | |
| Victims | 3 (2 convictions) |
Span of crimes | 1990–1991 |
| Country | Czechoslovakia |
Date apprehended | 1991 |
Horáček went on the run to escape charges for his first murder, and was himself murdered at an unknown date, as his body was found in 2006. His murder remains unsolved.
Early life
editLittle is known about Horáček's early life. Born in 1969 in Litoměřice, he supposedly committed his first violent offense at age 12, when it was alleged that he stabbed his neighbor with a hunting knife.[1] However, he was not tried for this crime due to his young age.[2]
Murders
editAccording to investigators, in 1990 Horáček murdered doctor Libuše Lednická at her office in Litoměřice, where he worked as an orderly, and then set the room on fire.[3] While he was considered the only suspect in the case and his DNA was found at the crime scene, authorities could not arrest him at the time due to a lack of precision in the science at the time.[1] Shortly after his release for his latter crimes, however, Horáček provided another DNA sample, which this time successfully confirmed that he was indeed the culprit. An arrest warrant was issued for him in July 2004.[2]
In January 1991, Horáček murdered his ex-wife and her sister at their family home, strangling them both and then placing their bodies in bathtubs on different floors of the house. The apparent motive for the murders was jealousy, as Horáček wanted to rekindle his relationship with his ex-wife, who had started dating another man.[1] Despite denying responsibility for the double murder and claiming that he was simply inside the house, he was convicted and sentenced to 15 years imprisonment for this crime.[2] Horáček was paroled in July 2004 before fully completing his sentence.
Death
editShortly after being released, Horáček went on the run from police, hiding out in České Budějovice with his former cellmate. Together, they were known to have repeatedly committed burglaries in the area.[2]
Sometime April 2006, Horáček got into an argument with his accomplice while they were having a dinner in a pub. According to the accomplice's testimony, he hit Horáček with a wooden bar and loaded his body into his car, abandoning him at the Římov Reservoir.[1] The body remained undiscovered until July 24, when it was accidentally found during a search for a victim in an unrelated crime.[4] While the body initially remained unidentified until October of that year, coroners were able to establish that Horáček was severely beaten - he had multiple fractures, strangulation marks, blood spurts and broken ribs - before being thrown into the reservoir, but were unable to establish whether he succumbed to his injuries or drowned.[5] Moreover, he was handcuffed and his body was suspended with a thirty-pound weight.[2]
Investigators immediately suspected that he was murdered by his former cellmate, but as he denied killing Horáček and they had no conclusive to prove otherwise, the man was never charged.[2]
In media
editThe Horáček case was covered on an episode of Záhady Josefa Klímy ("Josef Klíma's mysteries").[6]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b c d "Zbitý, přiškrcený a s traverzou přivázanou k ruce: Horáčka usvědčilo DNA ze staré vraždy pozdě" [Beaten, strangled and with a crossbar tied to his hand: Horáček was convicted by DNA from an old murder late]. Blesk (in Czech). 18 December 2018. Archived from the original on 27 June 2024.
- ^ a b c d e f Talířová, Elmira (8 April 2022). "Vraha našli mrtvého v římovské přehradě. Několik let starý případ policie stále neuzavřela" [The murderer was found dead in the Římov Reservoir. The police still haven't closed the case, which is several years old]. Budějcká drbna (in Czech). Archived from the original on 27 June 2024.
- ^ Roček, František (9 September 2010). "Kriminalisté vyřešili 16 let starý případ vraždy" [Detectives solved a 16-year-old murder case]. Deník (in Czech). Archived from the original on 27 June 2024.
- ^ "Žena odběhla z obchodu a pak už ji nikdo neviděl. Vraha policie hledá dodnes" [The woman ran out of the store and was never seen again. The police are still looking for her killer]. iDNES (in Czech). 6 July 2022. Archived from the original on 27 June 2024.
- ^ "Policie odhalila totožnost muže z Římovské přehrady" [The police revealed the identity of the man from the Rímov Reservoir]. iDNES (in Czech). 9 October 2006. Archived from the original on 27 June 2024.
- ^ Klíma, Josef (15 December 2018). "Za dvojnásobnou vraždu dostal 15 let. Pak ho technologický pokrok usvědčil z další, ještě starší vraždy" [He got 15 years for double murder. Then technological advances convicted him of another, even older murder]. Seznam Zprávy (in Czech). Archived from the original on 28 June 2024.