Contributed by: Branislava Vargová, Czech Republic National VAW Monitor and Mgr. Hronová Martina (ROSA)

A jury trial in Denver found 23-year old Martin Novotný guilty of murder on September 8^th, 2006. In December, 2005, he stabbed his Brazilian girlfriend to death with 74 cuts. After the jury trial decision the judge sentenced him to life imprisonment without possibility of release. Novotný was found guilty on all aspects of the criminal charge.

The experts pointed out the brutality of the murder. “In 14 years I have seen just once a perpetrator knife the victim in her eye” said coroner James Wahe. Before the murder, Novotný had dug the grave. The Czech man met his girlfriend in Colorado, where both of them worked as an au-pair. He was very jealous, and killed her because she wanted to split up after a one-year relationship.

Early in the morning he got through the window into the house where she worked and when she woke up, he stabbed her with a knife, put a cushion over her head and continued stabbing her. Later, he returned home and took a shower. On the same day he went to the Police.

There are not many cases when Czechs commit murder abroad. If something like this happens, they are usually sentenced to life imprisonment. Another case was a Czech student who strangled his Czech girlfriend in Sweden in 2003. He was also sentenced to life imprisonment.

 According to the Czech criminal code, a person who commits a murder can be sentenced for up to 10 - 15 years in prison (§219 of the criminal code – murder). A person who murders two or more persons, commits murder in a very brutal manner, commits serial murderers, a person who murders pregnant woman or a child under 15 years, etc. can receive 12-15 years or an exceptional punishment. If the sentence is lower than 10 years, after half of the sentence, the condemned person can ask for release. In cases of severe violence, murder or if the sentence is higher than 10 years, the person can ask for release after 2/3 of the penalty.

Complied from: iDNES.cz, dp, lja, Čech dostal v USA za ubodání přítelkyně doživotí

http://zpravy.idnes.cz/cech-dostal-v-usa-za-ubodani-pritelkyne-dozivoti-f62-/zahranicni.asp?c=A060908_224036_zahranicni_dp