Jaroslav Hejna Denied Parole by Šumperk Court After Serving 22 Years

Court Ruling and Psychological Evaluations on Hejna

The three-times convicted murderer Jaroslav Hejna will remain behind bars following a Thursday decision by the district court in Šumperk. Now 45 years old, Hejna had accumulated 22 years and eight months in prison before filing for parole. Judge Miloš Kubíček rejected the request, pointing to expert psychological testimony indicating that the inmate’s underlying behavioral patterns remain unchanged.

Judge Kubíček stated that it was necessary to take into account the fact that the acts he committed were done treacherously and for mercenary motives, noting that expert assessments continue to show an underlying inclination toward antisocial behavior and psychopathic personality traits that pose an immense risk to society.

Prosecutor Tomáš Horák supported the court’s denial, arguing that while Hejna maintained a clean disciplinary record inside prison, serial offenders present a fundamentally different threat level upon release. Clinical psychologist Pavel Kolda further testified that intense media scrutiny following any potential release could place severe pressure on the inmate, complicating an already vulnerable resocialization process compounded by past alcohol abuse.

The 2003 Murders and the Inmate’s Prison Rehabilitation

Hejna was originally sentenced to life imprisonment in February 2005 by the Prague High Court for a sequence of three murders committed in 2003 when he was just 23 years old. The crimes began when he shot a 43-year-old Vietnamese man in a forest between Božetice and Vlksice near Milevsko, stealing a gold chain and mobile phones before burying the body with accomplice Marek Dohnal. A second victim, a 30-year-old businessman, was shot inside Hejna’s chalet in Božetice and buried near the Smutná River. Hejna committed the third murder alone in a Prague apartment on Na Příkopě Street, shattering the victim’s skull with two blows from an unidentified object.

During Thursday’s court hearing, Hejna expressed remorse for his actions and detailed his efforts toward rehabilitation. He noted that he has worked for eight years in production and quality control behind bars, completed his high school graduation while incarcerated—becoming the first murderer in the prison system to do so—and amassed savings.

Jaroslav Hejna, convicted murderer, stated via Novinky that he had committed something irreparable, but was trying to atone for it at least partially through his life, that he was fulfilling all programs, and that he would like to enter the probation service’s resocialization program in Písek if his request were granted, adding that he had a promise of work and housing.

Despite these preparations, the Probation and Mediation Service did not support his release, and the court determined that his employment prospects at minimum wage offered insufficient guarantees against future criminal behavior.

Legal Context of Life Sentences in the Czech Republic

Life imprisonment stands as the most severe punishment under the Czech legal code, typically reserved for particularly brutal homicides. According to Markéta Machová Prunerová, spokesperson for the General Directorate of the Prison Service, 51 individuals are currently serving life sentences across the country, ranging from a 33-year-old inmate to a 77-year-old prisoner.

Czech law permits prisoners serving life sentences to apply for conditional parole after 20 years, though certain cases require 30 years.

• Jiří Kajínek: Granted a presidential pardon by Miloš Zeman in May 2017 after serving 23 years for a double murder.
• František Müller: Conditionally released in August 2018 after serving 20 years on a conviction handed down by German authorities.
• Robert Tempel: Released in October 2021 after interventions by the European Court of Human Rights and the Czech Constitutional Court.

Following the Šumperk court’s rejection of Hejna’s request, his defense attorney filed a complaint that will prompt a subsequent review by the regional court in Olomouc.