| Revision as of 10:29, 22 July 2013 editVejvančický (talk | contribs)Autopatrolled, Extended confirmed users35,302 editsm →Arrest: link← Previous edit | Revision as of 19:01, 29 July 2013 edit undoCimmerian praetor (talk | contribs)Extended confirmed users10,252 editsm →Reconstruction of the murders: + on the manner of attackNext edit → | ||
| (2 intermediate revisions by the same user not shown) | |||
| Line 19: | Line 19: | ||
| === Reconstruction of the murders === | === Reconstruction of the murders === | ||
| {{rquote|right| | |||
| ''Due to the lack of defensive marks on their bodies, it is clear that the victims were attacked successively, not expecting the assault.'' | |||
| |Assertion of the Czech police in the extradition request (see lower)<ref name="ct24 jul29" /> | |||
| }} | |||
| According to information published by Czech media, the authorities reconstructed the case as follows: | According to information published by Czech media, the authorities reconstructed the case as follows: | ||
| Line 59: | Line 63: | ||
| Dahlgren's legal representation had filed complaints against the initial arrest, body search and as against the handing over of Dahlgren's belongings to the Czech authorities. These complaints were all rejected.<ref name="idnes may25">{{Cite journal|url= http://brno.idnes.cz/kevin-dahlgren-zustava-ve-vazbe-dnj-/brno-zpravy.aspx?c=A130625_184048_brno-zpravy_taz |title= Soud v USA rozhodl, že Kevin Dahlgren zatím zůstane ve vazbě |publisher=idnes.cz|date=25 May 2013|accessdate=8 July 2013| language=Czech}}</ref> | Dahlgren's legal representation had filed complaints against the initial arrest, body search and as against the handing over of Dahlgren's belongings to the Czech authorities. These complaints were all rejected.<ref name="idnes may25">{{Cite journal|url= http://brno.idnes.cz/kevin-dahlgren-zustava-ve-vazbe-dnj-/brno-zpravy.aspx?c=A130625_184048_brno-zpravy_taz |title= Soud v USA rozhodl, že Kevin Dahlgren zatím zůstane ve vazbě |publisher=idnes.cz|date=25 May 2013|accessdate=8 July 2013| language=Czech}}</ref> | ||
| The Czech Ministry of Justice filed the formal request for Dahlgren's extradition on 12 July 2013.<ref name="ct24 jul12">{{Cite journal|url= http://www.ceskatelevize.cz/ct24/domaci/234519-vydani-dahlgrena-uz-je-pouze-v-rukach-americke-justice/ |title= Vydání Dahlgrena už je pouze v rukách americké justice |publisher=ČT 24|date=12 July 2013|accessdate=12 July 2013| language=Czech}}</ref> ], which has obtained the 300 pages long extradition request from the US authorities, claimed that the evidence presented by the Czech police included also victims' DNA samples found on Dahlgren's clothing. The US authorities had handed Dahlgren's belongings to the Czech Republic already after his arrest in Washington. The Czech police concluded that short trousers found in Dahlgren's suitcase had blood stains: the police alleged that "''beyond any doubt, it is the blood of David Harok, and further with a very high probability blood of Martin Harok and Veronika Haroková. In case of 25 examined stains, this blood could not have stained the short trousers by a mere abrasion.''"<ref name="ct24 jul29">{{Cite journal|url= http://www.ceskatelevize.cz/ct24/domaci/236344-na-dahlgrenovych-kratasech-nasli-kriminaliste-krev-obeti/ |title= Na Dahlgrenových kraťasech našli kriminalisté krev obětí |publisher=ČT 24|date=29 July 2013|accessdate=29 July 2013| language=Czech}}</ref> The police have further secured a bloodied knife and a bar stool at the crime scene. However, according to the authorities, more weapons were used in the killings.<ref name="ct24 jul29" /> | |||
| ] which houses the regional court appropriate to hear the Harok family murder case.]] | ] which houses the regional court appropriate to hear the Harok family murder case.]] | ||
| The Czech Ministry of Justice filed the formal request for Dahlgren's extradition on 12 July 2013.<ref name="ct24 jul12">{{Cite journal|url= http://www.ceskatelevize.cz/ct24/domaci/234519-vydani-dahlgrena-uz-je-pouze-v-rukach-americke-justice/ |title= Vydání Dahlgrena už je pouze v rukách americké justice |publisher=ČT 24|date=12 July 2013|accessdate=12 July 2013| language=Czech}}</ref> | |||
| == Criminal proceedings == | == Criminal proceedings == | ||
Revision as of 19:01, 29 July 2013
The Harok family murder took place in the early morning of 22 May 2013 when four members of the Harok family, Veronika, her husband Martin, son Filip, and a couple of hours later also their son David, were murdered in their home in Brno, Czech Republic′s second largest city.
On 23 May 2013, the Czech Police charged in absentia 20-year-old US national Kevin Dahlgren, who at the time he was charged was on the run, on board a flight bound for Washington, D.C., with committing the quadruple murder. Dahlgren is represented "in absentia" by a court appointed attorney, Richard Špíšek, in the Czech murder proceedings, and by Theodore "Ted" Simon, formerly Amanda Knox′s attorney, in extradition proceedings taking place in Alexandria, Virginia. If convicted, Dahlgren, who denies responsibility for the murders, could be sentenced up to life imprisonment in the Czech Republic.
Place| Brno |
|---|
Victims
In the Czech Republic, female surnames traditionally take suffix -ová (see Czech female surnames).The Haroks moved to the Brno-Ivanovice district in about 2005 and were described as quiet and polite by neighbors.
Veronika Haroková (aged 46) worked as a teacher of history and Czech language at a Brno grammar school where she also worked as a pupil counselor. She was described as being well liked by the students. Her husband Martin Harok (aged 55) and their son Filip (aged 25) were both members of the Ukulele Orchestra jako Brno band. The youngest of the victims, David (aged 16), was a student, described as a promising soccer player in the Czech media.
Investigation
Reconstruction of the murders
Due to the lack of defensive marks on their bodies, it is clear that the victims were attacked successively, not expecting the assault.
— Assertion of the Czech police in the extradition request (see lower)
According to information published by Czech media, the authorities reconstructed the case as follows:
In early morning of 22 May 2013, a girlfriend of one of the sons left the house. At 6:40 AM, Mrs. Haroková called the grammar school where she worked, saying that she had a strong headache and would take a day off. The police believe that she and two other victims were killed between this time and 8:00 AM, which was the moment at which Mrs Haroková's wristwatch stopped. A post woman arrived at the door shortly before nine. The doorbell was answered by Dahlgren, who accepted the mail. Two hours later, a cleaner came to the house, but was sent away by Dahlgren immediately after entering the hallway. Meanwhile, Dahlgren was supposedly texting to the fourth victim, David, who was at school, that they would go running after his return. David was probably murdered immediately after returning to the house around 12:30 PM.
Security cameras recorded Dahlgren leaving the house later in the afternoon. He took a taxi to Vienna International Airport, the 140 km (87 miles) away, reaching the airport at about 5 PM.
Discovery of victims
Neighbors first noticed a faint smoke in the afternoon of 22 May 2013, however it wasn't until shortly before 10:00 PM that day that they registered that the smoke came from the Harok family's house garage. The neighbors entered the garage intending to extinguish what seemed to be a small scale smolder only to find three charred bodies inside, whereupon they immediately alerted the authorities.
The victims were stabbed and slashed to death, bodies of three of them wrapped in cloth and set on fire. Due to the state of the bodies the police were not immediately able to identify the victims.
Arrest
The next day the Czech authorities issued an international arrest warrant for Dahlgren, who, as was later revealed, had already passed through the passport control at Vienna International Airport before his name appeared in the international database. Subsequently, at about 1 PM the Austrian authorities alerted the crew of Austrian Airlines flight OS93 of the arrest warrant. The flight, carrying Dahlgren, had left Vienna at 10:25 AM and was at time flying over the United Kingdom. After contemplating an emergency landing or a return to Vienna, the pilots decided it would be safer to continue the flight. The cabin crew were instructed to pretend not to know anything about the suspect on the flight. Immediately after landing at Washington Dulles International Airport, the plane was stormed by FBI agents who arrested Dahlgren.
The Czech police made it public that they consider Kevin Dahlgren to be the prime suspect only after he had been arrested in the USA, citing fears that he might have learned about his "wanted" status while on board of the airplane, and react by endangering other passengers.
Kevin Dahlgren
Kevin Dahlgren, a 20 year-old native of Sacramento, California, where he graduated from Granite Bay High School, and Veronika Haroková's cousin, came to the Czech Republic three weeks prior to the killings in order to live with the Harok family. According to Czech press reports, Dahlgren was suffering with "psychological issues" and had been sent to the Czech Republic by his parents
Kevin Dahlgren and Veronika Haroková had the same grandparents, who emigrated from Czechoslovakia following the 1948 communist coup d'état. During their flight, they left their 6 years old daughter Ivana, Veronika's mother, behind. The initial plan to get her out of the country following their escape failed and it wasn't until 20 years later that they could meet again, when Ivana also first met her sister Sandy, Kevin Dahlgren's mother, who had been born in the USA. Veronika's and Sandy's families were in contact and started visiting each other after the fall of communism in Czechoslovakia in 1989.
According to the authorities, Dahlgren sent messages to other people on the day of the killing. At 8:33, he supposedly sent an SMS (text message) to a Harok family friend that he planned to return to the US. He canceled a class with a student whom he was tutoring English two hours later, and at 15:14, he sent an SMS to another Harok family friend that he has left for Vienna.
The authorities further claim that Dahlgren had been boasting about having managed to get a knife on board the airplane which brought him to Europe, and that he was seen walking in vicinity of the victims' house with a knife in his hand two days before the killings.
Dahlgren's former babysitter, Shauna Seymour, has described him as a trouble-free person. According to Garry O'Dell, Dahlgrens' family friend, Kevin has denied responsibility for the murders. Dahlgren claims that he went jogging and found the bodies after returning to the house. Scared for his own life, he wanted to get away as fast as possible
Extradition proceedings
We shall do everything possible so that the extradition request is absolutely precise. We expect the United States to satisfy our request.
— Štěpánka Čechová, spokesperson of the Czech Ministry of Justice
The Czech Ministry of Justice issued a request for preliminary custody of Kevin Dahlgren in the afternoon of 23 May 2013 on the basis of international arrest warrant issued by a judge in the Municipal Court in Brno.
Dahlgren was arrested on the basis of the international arrest warrant immediately after landing in the USA on 23 May 2013. Motion for Dahlgren's custody was brought by Assistant United States Attorney Patricia Haynes and approved by judge Theresa Carroll Buchanan the next day. The Czech authorities have announced that they will seek Dahlgren's extradition. Under the Czech-US extradition treaty, they have 60 days to file a formal request (until 23 July 2013).
While there have been cases of extradition of persons from either country to the other, and involving third countries, there has till now never been a US citizen extradited by the USA to the Czech Republic. According to the Czech Ministry of Justice, Dahlgren may not be prosecuted in the USA for crimes committed abroad, and if not extradited, he would walk free in the USA.
Dahlgren's legal representation had filed complaints against the initial arrest, body search and as against the handing over of Dahlgren's belongings to the Czech authorities. These complaints were all rejected.
The Czech Ministry of Justice filed the formal request for Dahlgren's extradition on 12 July 2013. Czech public television, which has obtained the 300 pages long extradition request from the US authorities, claimed that the evidence presented by the Czech police included also victims' DNA samples found on Dahlgren's clothing. The US authorities had handed Dahlgren's belongings to the Czech Republic already after his arrest in Washington. The Czech police concluded that short trousers found in Dahlgren's suitcase had blood stains: the police alleged that "beyond any doubt, it is the blood of David Harok, and further with a very high probability blood of Martin Harok and Veronika Haroková. In case of 25 examined stains, this blood could not have stained the short trousers by a mere abrasion." The police have further secured a bloodied knife and a bar stool at the crime scene. However, according to the authorities, more weapons were used in the killings.
Criminal proceedings
See also: In absentia criminal proceedings in the Czech RepublicAfter learning that their prime suspect has left the country, on 23 May 2013 the Czech authorities charged Kevin Dahlgren "in absentia" with committing the quadruple murder. If convicted, he may be sentenced up to life imprisonment.
Dahlgren is represented by a court appointed attorney Richard Špíšek in the Czech murder proceedings.
References
- "Dahlgren pobíhal noc před vraždami s nožem v ruce" (in Czech). ČT 24. 26 June 2013. Retrieved 30 June 2013.
{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires|journal=(help) - ^ "Mlčeli jsme, aby Dahlgren na palubě neohrozil pasažéry, říká policie" (in Czech). lidovky.cz. 24 May 2013. Retrieved 30 June 2013.
{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires|journal=(help) - ^ "Dahlgrenovi byl přidělen český obhájce. Ten čeká, zda ho USA vydají" (in Czech). lidovky.cz. 29 May 2013. Retrieved 30 June 2013.
{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires|journal=(help) - "Dahlgrena hájí právnické eso. Zřejmě požádá o propuštění na kauci" (in Czech). idnes.cz. 30 May 2013. Retrieved 30 June 2013.
{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires|journal=(help) - ^ "Přítel Dahlgrenových: Kevin rodinu našel už zavražděnou" (in Czech). ČT 24. 6 June 2013. Retrieved 8 July 2013.
{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires|journal=(help) - "Nebezpečný Američan na útěku: V Brně údajně vyvraždil čtyřčlennou rodinu" (in Czech). denik.cz. 23 May 2013. Retrieved 30 June 2013.
{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires|journal=(help) - ^ "PROFILY OBĚTÍ: Tito tři muži a učitelka byli zavražděni v Brně! Hráli spolu v ukulele bandu" (in Czech). nova.cz. 23 May 2013. Retrieved 30 June 2013.
{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires|journal=(help) - ^ "Na Dahlgrenových kraťasech našli kriminalisté krev obětí" (in Czech). ČT 24. 29 July 2013. Retrieved 29 July 2013.
{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires|journal=(help) - "Proofs point at Dahlgren as killer, motive unclear - Czech police". České noviny. 5 June 2013. Retrieved 30 June 2013.
{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires|journal=(help) - ^ "ČT: Dahlgren v den vraždy převzal poštu a vyhnal paní na úklid z domu" (in Czech). ČT 24. 26 June 2013. Retrieved 30 June 2013.
{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires|journal=(help) Cite error: The named reference "ct24 jun26" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page). - ^ "Dahlgren odjel do Vídně taxíkem už ve středu odpoledne" (in Czech). nova.cz. 5 June 2013. Retrieved 30 June 2013.
{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires|journal=(help) - "Fakta a mýty o Kevinu Dahlgrenovi" (in Czech). idnes.cz. 30 May 2013. Retrieved 8 July 2013.
{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires|journal=(help) - "Hledá se Američan podezřelý z vraždy rodiny v Brně. Těla zkusil spálit" (in Czech). idnes.cz. 23 May 2013. Retrieved 30 June 2013.
{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires|journal=(help) - "So flüchtete der Psycho-Killer" (in German). indes.cz. 26 May 2013. Retrieved 30 June 2013.
{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires|journal=(help) - "Dojel vrah do Vídně na motorce? Česká policie to popírá" (in Czech). indes.cz. 27 May 2013. Retrieved 30 June 2013.
{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires|journal=(help) - "Američan obviněný ze čtyřnásobné vraždy zůstává ve vazbě" (in Czech). ČT 24. 29 May 2013. Retrieved 30 June 2013.
{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires|journal=(help) - "Američana podezřelého z vraždy čtyř lidí v Brně chytili ve Washingtonu" (in Czech). novinky.cz. 24 May 2013. Retrieved 30 June 2013.
{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires|journal=(help) - "Dahlgren v obklíčení důkazů, tajemstvím zůstává proč" (in Czech). ČT 24. 5 June 2013. Retrieved 8 July 2013.
{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires|journal=(help) - "FBI: Dahlgren se chlubil nožem" (in Czech). denik.cz. 11 June 2013. Retrieved 30 June 2013.
{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires|journal=(help) - ^ "Česko se pokouší o průlom. Věří, že Spojené státy vraha čtyř lidí vydají" (in Czech). idnes.cz. 24 May 2013. Retrieved 8 July 2013.
{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires|journal=(help) - ^ "Američana podezřelého z vraždy čtyř lidí v Brně zatkli ve Washingtonu" (in Czech). idnes.cz. 24 May 2013. Retrieved 8 July 2013.
{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires|journal=(help) - ^ "Soud v USA rozhodl, že Kevin Dahlgren zatím zůstane ve vazbě" (in Czech). idnes.cz. 25 May 2013. Retrieved 8 July 2013.
{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires|journal=(help) - "Vydání Dahlgrena už je pouze v rukách americké justice" (in Czech). ČT 24. 12 July 2013. Retrieved 12 July 2013.
{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires|journal=(help)