Olga Hepnarová remains a chilling figure in Czech history, known as the last woman to be executed in Czechoslovakia. On July 10, 1973, at age 22, she deliberately drove a truck into a crowd at a tram stop in Prague, killing eight people.
: She rented a Praga RN truck and drove to the Strossmayerovo náměstí tram stop. She notably made a first pass but turned back because there were not enough people; she waited until more had gathered before accelerating into a group of approximately 25 people.
Hepnarová’s crime was not a moment of passion but a cold, calculated act of mass murder.
: She viewed the attack as "revenge on society" for years of perceived mistreatment. Before the crime, she sent letters to two newspapers explaining her "verdict" against humanity.
: She cycled through various jobs before training as a truck driver, a profession that eventually provided her with the weapon for her crime. The 1973 Attack
: At age 13, she attempted suicide and spent a year in a psychiatric hospital in Opařany, where she later claimed to have been abused.
: From a young age, she felt unable to connect with peers and family, viewing herself as an outcast.
Born in 1951 to middle-class parents, Hepnarová’s early life was marked by social isolation and psychological difficulties.