Janusz Komar

Name

Janusz Komar

Background

Janusz Komar fled his native Czechoslovakia in September 1980 and sought political asylum in West Germany. He signed on with the French Foreign Legion two months later. In March 1981, he was sent home and designated as unfit for duty. In June 1981, he was charged with two counts of robbery. He was granted political asylum five days later, despite the pending criminal charges.

The offence

Komar committed beatings and robberies. A mugging in Trier involved the brutal beating and stomping of 26-year-old Mutsuko Ayano, a Japanese student. She died four days later without regaining consciousness. Investigators also linked Komar to a burglary in Trier on November 28 in which $1,100 cash was stolen from a villa on the edge of town. Investigators further connected him to the murder of Maria Weiss, a 68-year-old, who was robbed and stomped to death in her flower shop in Regensberg, across the country in Bavaria by December 5.

Investigation

Police saw no immediate connection between the mugging at Trier and the burglary at Trier on November 28 in which $1,100 cash was stolen from a villa on the edge of town. By December 5, the action shifted to Regensberg, across the country in Bavaria, where Maria Weiss was robbed and stomped to death in her flower shop. Investigators reviewed unsolved robberies throughout West Germany and discovered a series of similar crimes connecting the two murder sites. A computer scan of similar solved cases kicked out names of three suspects, including 20-year-old Janusz Komar. An interview with Komar’s room mate in Regensberg cracked the case by revealing that Komar had come home with blood on his clothing the day Maria Weiss was murdered. In custody, Komar confessed to the murders and various robberies. He stated that he needed the money for travel, liquor, and drugs.

Arrest

Komar was in custody after police connected him to the murders through the interview with his room mate in Regensberg and his blood-stained clothing.

Trial

Komar was convicted on two counts of premeditated murder in November 1985.

Sentencing

Komar was sentenced to ten years imprisonment—the maximum penalty allowed for defendants under 21 years of age—in November 1985.

Timeline

• September 1980 — Janusz Komar fled Czechoslovakia seeking political asylum in West Germany.
• November 1980 — He signed on with the French Foreign Legion two months later.
• March 1981 — He was sent home from the French Foreign Legion and designated as unfit for duty.
• June 10, 1981 — He was charged with two counts of robbery.
• June 15, 1981 — He was granted political asylum five days later despite pending criminal charges.
• June 1982 — He was arrested for drunk driving, driving without a license, and leaving the scene of an accident.
• June 1982 — He was sentenced to six months on those charges.
• After the six-month sentence — He was released on the basis of four months served prior to trial.
• After release (in 1982) — Komar immediately violated terms of his probation by failing to report on schedule.
• November 10, 1983 — He was hauled back to complete his six-month sentence and hit the streets again.
• A week after November 10, 1983 — 26-year-old Mutsuko Ayano was brutally beaten and stomped by a mugger in Trier.
• Four days later (after Ayano’s beating) — Mutsuko Ayano died without regaining consciousness.
• November 28 — A burglary in Trier occurred in which $1,100 cash was stolen from a villa on the edge of town.
• By December 5 — 68-year-old Maria Weiss was robbed and stomped to death in her flower shop in Regensberg, Bavaria.
• November 1985 — He was convicted on two counts of premeditated murder and sentenced to ten years imprisonment.

Other details

Komar’s conviction of robbery as a juvenile resulted in a one-year suspended sentence. He stayed out of trouble until June 1982 when he was arrested for drunk driving, driving without a license, and leaving the scene of an accident. Upon release, he violated probation terms by failing to report on schedule and was hauled back to complete his six-month sentence, and he was released with time off for “good behavior.” With time off for “good behavior,” he could theoretically be on the streets again by 1990.