Isabella Mueller (crime writer)
One of the worst serial murder cases in the Czech Republic took place between 2001 and 2002. During this period, eight defenceless elderly people were robbed and murdered in cold blood in the area around Kutná Hora. As the police initially assumed that three of the deaths were suicides or tragic accidents, the murderers remained undetected at first. This was due, on the one hand, to serious errors on the part of the forensic pathologists and criminal investigators, and, on the other hand, to the fact that the perpetrators skilfully manipulated potential evidence in such a way that the murder of the Krále couple on 30 April 2002 appeared to be an accident in which they had turned on the gas supply and suffocated. Although strangulation marks were visible on their bodies, the opinions of the forensic experts were completely ignored. The death of 81-year-old Josef Malina was also initially interpreted as a suicide, as he had been found hanging in the loft with a rope round his neck. But who was behind this series of murders targeting the elderly? The perpetrators were tracked down when, on 3 February 2003, they attacked 78-year-old Josef Petrouka in his home and left him tied up in the cellar. The elderly man managed to free himself and call the police. His description of the perpetrators led to the couple Jaroslav and Dana Stodol. They had already come to the attention of the investigators following the description provided by 92-year-old Bozena Cerhákova. Unlike her two daughters, she had survived a raid on her home on 2 December 2002. However, the evidence was not strong enough to charge the couple. Both had fallen into financial difficulties due to their drug and alcohol addiction and were attempting to make up for their losses through the robberies. On 4 February 2003, the couple were arrested; during questioning, they blamed each other. On 26 April 2004, the Stodol couple were sentenced to life imprisonment by the Hradec Králové District Court for 17 serious offences and 8 murders. This verdict was upheld by the Prague High Court. Whilst still in prison, the couple divorced in 2006.
