Bohumil Vacík

a fourfold murderer
born in 1952 - life imprisonment

Bohumil Vacík has been the tenth criminal sentenced to life imprisonment after raising the death sencetence (May, 1990) in the Czech Republic. He shoots dead four people in Chodov and in Sokolov within less than a month. A six-year old child and a pregnant woman became the victims of Vacík's... The murders were financial-motivated because Vacík went bankrupt and was in debt. Bohumil Vacík becomes a farm-machine serviceman. He joins the then Public Safety Staff (Police) in 1973. One year later, he suffers a serious injury and is unable to work nearly for a year. He works as a policeman for six years. Then he starts to work as a locksmith. He has been drawing a partial desability pension since 1990. He ekes out salary by selling the GWC charts. When in public, he pretends to be a well-off and successful businessman.

Forensic psychiatrists and psychologists found Vacík to suffer from anethopathy polymorphous accompanied by hysterical, schizoid attacks and aggressiveness. His intelligence quotient lies between average and above-average. He was a man with valetudinarian and neurotic tendencies in his behaviour. His disability was proved not to be the reason for his murderous behaviour.

Murdered Jan Hejduk

Vacík commits his very first murder early in the morning, on December 19th, 1994. It is in the Structural Engineering gatehouse, Sokolov. Jan Hejduk (54), a friend of Vacík's, working there as a gatekeeper, becomes his victim. Vacík wants to borow his gun for the following two hours and offers him Kč 10,000 for that. Jan Hejduk refuses, Vacík attacks him and takes Hejduk's gun by force and murders him by two head-shoots. He leaves the gatehouse after that.

On January 11th, 1995, short after 6 p. m., a petrol station heist takes place in Líšov, near České Budějovice. Milena Puchingerá (54), a petrol station staff, is seriously injured and dies in hospital the following day. Vacík steals Kč 25,000 there. A car pulls up to refuel at that petrol station at the same time. Vacík leaves the petrol station office holding a wallet in his hand and, showing no signs of any possible state of agitation, asks the driver to pay Kč 400. During the police investigations, the driver recognizes Bohumil Vacík to be the man with the wallet at the petrol station...

Murdered Tien Minn Too

There are found three dead bodies in a flat in Chodov on January 14th, 1995. A Vietnamese shopkeeper Tien Minn Too (37), his Czech wife Jindřiška (29) in her ninth month and their daughter Oldřiška (6). The older daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Too's (10) survives as she is not at home at that time. The three were shot dead by the gun stolen from the gatekeeper Jan Hejduk. The experts say they were murdered on January 11th, 1995 at about 9 a. m. Neither money nor any of their properties were stolen.

An extensive police investigations start. At first, some members of the Vietnamesse community living in the Czech Republik are suspected of that act of murder. Bohumil Vacík becomes suspected of that crime later on. He knows the Toos, meets them and gains their confidence. Some of the witnesses even say that he treated Oldřiška very kind when visiting her parents. An amateur film was presented by TV NOVA and supplied with a commentary presented in a sensationalist way and named "What a Strange Man St. Nicholas Is!". The video shows Bohumil Vacík, as St. Nicholas, smoothing his future victim, Oldřiška, with an extraordinary kindness... The Too family think Vacík to be a decent and a kind man. In November 1994, Tien Minn Too, an ordinary member of the Vietnamesse community living in the Czech Republic, lends Vacík Kč 28,000.

Murdered Jindřiška Toová and her six-year-old daughter

Failing businessman in debt, robbing Peter to pay Paul, decides to murder his payee. He visits the Too family in their flat in the morning, on January 11th, 1995. He pretends to have the sum in arrear on him, but he draws the gun in the kitchen. Too starts laughing taking it as a good joke. But Vacík means it and shoots. Hearing the noise, a six-year-old Oldřiška comes to the kitchen and seeing it she turns round and runs to her room shouting: "I'm gonna tell my Mum!" Vacík shoots again. When trying to leave the flat, Mr. Too's pregnant wife Jindřiška comes in. When she passing by Vacík, he shoots for the third time...

The abortion of murdered Jindřiška Toová

Nedonošený plod zavražděné Jindřišky Toové

At the time of the search of premises at the scene of crime (three days later), Vacík walks about near the flat which is thought to be a sign of his induration and cynism. He promises his ex-co-worker to go to police ball and to ask his former colleagues about that crime. The very next day, the ex-co-worker learns from TV that Vacík himself is the murderer...

Bohumil Vacík is sentenced to life imprisonment for a fourfold act of murder and an unlawful arming by the Regional Court in Plzeň on August 14th, 1996. The murder of Milena Puchingerová, the petrol station staff, is not included in the sentence. Although Vacík was recognized by the witness, the crime reconstruction was not proceeded right the way the Code of Criminal Procedure says. Vacík gives no notice of an appeal.

Vacík's wife Svatava (51) becomes his very last victim. She loves her husband despite of his nature. When she learns that her beloved husband is accused of murder, she commits a suicide on March 2nd, 1995... The unhappy kindergartener writes in her goodbye-letter that she cannot cope with what her husband has done and that she cannot bear the contempt of her neighbourhood. Vacík hearing about his wife's death shows no sign of grief...