Czech Republic: 17.5 years for two counts of attempted murder of homeless people

A court has sentenced Jan Mokrý, a college student, to 17.5 years in prison for two counts of attempted murder against homeless people in Prague. The young man told the court that he admires Adolf Hitler, confessed to the crimes, and said he regretted that his victims had survived.  

Mokrý said his intent was to torture his victims. According to medical experts he is not suffering from mental illness and is fully responsible for his actions.

Experts also said the option of reintegrating him into society was basically impossible. The verdict of the Prague Municipal Court has not yet taken effect and could be appealed.

The indictment charges the 24-year-old student of mathematics and physics with two counts of attempted murder. He committed the first assault last April in the Libeň quarter of Prague and the second attack two months later near the main train station.

Each victim was a homeless man who was asleep. "I stand by my deeds and my opinions. I am aware that I am evil. It is in people’s nature to die, they do so every day. I will continue, you can’t forbid me to," Mokrý said in his closing remarks.  

He also read to the court from notes he had made about everyone he was planning to kill. His targets were "gypsies, the homeless, informers and Jews".

The notes also mention several female students who lived in his same dormitory. He called them "worthless pieces of meat".

According to the notes,  Mokrý planned to slice the women up and throw them into the Vltava River. He has also confessed to committing other crimes, including assaulting a third homeless person, but police have not charged him with any other crimes.