Václav Mrázek

Born on October 22nd, 1925 - Executed on December 30th, 1957, Prague

Václav Mrázek was executed on December 30th, 1957. He had murdered seven women between 1951 and 1956. He is said to be the murderer having the highest number of victims in the Czech Republic, after WW II.

Václav Mrázek is one of twelve. When attending the basic school, Václav Mrázek completes five classes only. People consider him to be a rather odd and shy, but tactful and hardworking man. When talking about women, he is a bit shy. He is a big football and ice-hockey fan. He is keen on cycling too. And when on a trip, he meets his future victims...

On Sunday, March 17th, 1957, it chances that the multimurderer Václav Mrázek is arrested. Mrázek, working at Nejedlý I. Colliery, Libušín, near Slaný, is caught redhanded when running through his fellow-workers' clothes in the cloakroom. Later on, during the police investigetions, some facts and knowledge show Václav Mrázek to be the possible multimurderer. The gun and some of the murdered women belongings are found during the house search.

A 16-year-old Marie Dvořáková shot dead and abused by Mrázek in June 1952 - a police photograph.

It happend between Přečáply and Seník, Chomutov. Mrázek commits his very first act of murder near Drahonice, Karlovy Vary, on August 21st, 1951. His victim becomes a 15-year-old Hana Chloubová. Mrázek hits her head with a piece of wood and then he has sex with her. Later on, Mrázek gets possession of a gun, Walther 7.56 mm, and one month later, he murders again. In Jirkov, near Chomutov. A couple of lovers becomes his victim now. Mrázek fires three shots and shoots a 26-year-old Karel Tirfaj dead. One more shot is enough to kill a 19-year-old Libuše Dufková when she tries to run away to save her life. Then, using the dead body, he satisfies his sexuality.

The burial of Libuše Dufková

Apart from the six sex-motivated acts of murder, Mrázek commits one murder with robbery. At night, on November 9th, 1956, he burglars into Ladislav Beran's house, Svinařov. Beran is at work at that time. When Mrázek searching through the house, Ladislav Beran's wife wakes up, lights up and says Mrázek's name. Mrázek, being afraid of revelation, hits the fifty-seven-year old Alžběta Beranová's head several times with an axe and she dies. Her ten-year-old granddaughter, Jarmila, becomes the eye-witness of that terrible event. When leaving the house, Mrázek sexually abuses the girl...

The death mask of Václav Mrázek (The Police Museum, Praha).

Václav Mrázek is suspected of murdering some other women from his neighbourhood. On those dead bodies, there are found lots of same signs and traces significant and typical of Václav Mrázek. Because of the lack of evidence against Mrázek, his is not accused of some more acts of murder.

The file consists of 16 volumes. Apart from murders, Mrázek is found guilty of 14 sexual-abuse cases. He is accused of burglary and housebreaking (33 cases), linen stealing (12 cases), pet stealing (16 cases), stealing six bicycles and tens of various petty thefts. Mrázek is accused of 127 crimes on the whole...

Still, there is one question left: How come that Mrázek, a dangerous criminal, was evading the justice for such a long time? One reason is the lack of experience of the then-policeman. In 1948 - 1950, lots of pre-war experienced policemen were "replaced" with young men coming from working class and willing to hunt "the spies", "the reactionaries", "the profiteers", simply, all "the Enemy of the People's democratic order"...

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