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Triple murder yields few answers

Investigation ongoing into deaths of body builder, parents

By Curtis M. Wong
Staff Writer, The Prague Post
August 27th, 2008 issue

The grisly death of a local bodybuilding champion in south Moravia has left authorities mystified and sent shock waves throughout the Czech fitness community.
Radek Suchomel, 32, gold medalist in the European under 80 kg bodybuilding championship in 2000 and second-place winner in the world championship that same year, was found dead alongside the bodies of his parents at their home in Rousínov, south Moravia, Aug. 9. All three had been shot to death with a firearm that was found at the scene. Police officials were summoned to the home by one of Suchomel’s relatives, whose name has not been released, shortly before 5 p.m. that day.
Officials have also not yet released the names of Suchomel’s father, 55, and mother, 52, but have confirmed that the gun found at the scene was part of the elder Suchomel’s extensive personal collection of military artifacts and was legally registered.
As the investigation continues, few facts have been confirmed and police officials say they remain thwarted by unanswered questions. Regional police official Alois Gryc initially told journalists that reports indicated Suchomel had shot both of his parents, then taken his own life.
However, authorities now speculate that Suchomel’s father was responsible for the deaths, and that the department’s initial claim was based on the scant evidence that had been collected from the scene and reviewed on a tight deadline.
“Gryc was under a lot of pressure from journalists at the time, and had insufficient evidence,” said regional police official Pavel Šváb, adding that officials have yet to receive the official autopsy reports. “But they needed the information at once, and advance [information] doesn’t always ensure certainty.”
Of the investigation’s known facts, Šváb confirms only that three bodies were found alongside a gun. At present, he says, anything beyond that is pure speculation, though he agrees the initial reports were faulty.  
Of course, authorities have been scrambling to correct the erroneous reports, information from which has already been published by several area newspapers, magazines and Web sites. Local police have appointed Jana Šípková, who was present at the crime scene, as the case’s official spokeswoman (Šípková could not be reached for comment).
A motive for the deaths has not been officially determined, although Šváb confirms a long list of financial and interpersonal problems within the Suchomel family. Earlier, Suchomel’s mother had been prosecuted in an embezzlement case, and Suchomel himself had recently moved back in with his parents following a bitter divorce.
News of Suchomel’s death shocked many of his colleagues and associates, who describe the bodybuilding champion as extremely competitive in his field, but also gentle and kind-hearted.
“Above all, it is shocking,” said Zbyněk Janoud, president of the Czech Federation of Bodybuilding and Fitness. “It is unthinkable that he could have been responsible ... that he would ever have done anything like that. I’m glad that the investigation has shown that I wasn’t mistaken about his personality.”
A native of Rousínov, Suchomel began training at an early age and won his first Czech bodybuilding championship at age 18 in 1994, when he placed first in the under 65 kg category. He followed it up with a second gold in the same category the following year, as well as placing first in the 75 kg in 1998.  
“Radek was one of those people who helped represent the Czech Republic very successfully,” Janoud said. He went on to describe Suchomel as “a sportsman and, above all, one that had a great talent ... someone who was determined and put forth a lot of effort in what he was doing, and was predestined to become famous.”
In addition to their professional relationship, Janoud was a close friend of Suchomel’s, whom he said was a down-to-earth person and never took his success to heart.
“As a friend, he was always very sociable.” he said. “He was able to give advice to others rather than being just a highly competitive person.”  
Janoud also downplayed the notion of familial strife among the Suchomels, instead calling Suchomel’s mother his No. 1 fan.
“Personally, I will always remember him together with his mother, who never missed any competition he took part in,” he said. “She was not only a great support for her son but also his friend, and she always had a part in all of his accomplishments and success.”  
After retiring from professional bodybuilding following the European championship in 2000, Suchomel owned and operated two local fitness centers close to Rousínov.
— Hela Balínová and Naďa Černá contributed to this report.

Curtis M. Wong can be reached at cwong@praguepost.com


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