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Laura Jean Kucera 1975 - 1995

Laura Jean Kucera of Wakefield, Dixon County, NE was born on August 17, 1975 in Columbus, Platte County to David Kucera and Mary Kucera. Laura Kucera died at age 20 years old on September 13, 1995 in Wakefield, Dixon County, and was buried at Clarkson Catholic Cemetery in Clarkson, Colfax County.

Laura Jean Kucera

Giz

Wakefield, Dixon County, NE 68784

August 17, 1975

Columbus, Platte County, Nebraska, 68784, United States

September 13, 1995

Wakefield, Dixon County, Nebraska, 68784, United States

Female

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Laura Jean Kucera Laura Kucera (1975 - 1995)

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Laura Jean Kucera's History: 1975 - 1995

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Introduction

Laura Jean Kucera, who went by "Giz", was born to David J. and Mary (Bierman) Kucera. She had two sisters Sabrina & Dorothy, and five brothers, Joseph, Mathew, Charles, Benjamin and Patrick. Laura was shot twice in the head and once in her shoulder and left for dead by her ex-boyfriend Brian Anderson, who was at that time 22 years old. Brian abducted Laura on Oct 1st 1994, just days after finishing jail time. He left Laura for dead in a ditch, until he had second thoughts and led authorities to where he had left her. Laura's spirit was strong, as she survived four days in freezing temperatures (in just a t-shirt and shorts) until she was rescued. See Woman with Gunshot Wound Survives Four Days in Ditch. In May of 1995, during the trial in Ponca Nebraska, Judge Maurice J Redmond called Anderson a "bully" and a "coward" when sentencing him to 55 years in prison. After spending 51 days in a hospital and successfully learning how to walk again (although with difficulty), she died in a car crash in September 1995, almost a year after the initial assault. On the way to visiting her grandmother Laura ran her car off a gravel road into a ditch, rolling over the vehicle. See Woman Who Survived Shooting Dies in Crash. Laura was survived by 7 brothers and sisters and her parents: Father David, mother Mary, sisters Sabrina and Dorothy, brothers Joseph Mathew, Charles, Benjamin and Patrick. See Families Hope To Move Ahead. On January 15th, 2019, Netflix added a movie called "Only Mine" to its lineup. It is (very) loosely based on Laura Kucera's story. In the movie, her boyfriend is a policeman (in real life, he wasn't) and he is portrayed as much older than Laura (in the movie, named Julie). The movie also doesn't follow Laura's courageous and difficult recovery as well as the accident that ended, within a year of the attack, in her death. At the end of the movie is this dedication: “In 1995, Laura Kucera was kidnapped, shot in the head, and left to die. She lived. Her attacker remains in prison to this day. This film is dedicated to Laura, and to victims of abuse everywhere.” See Laura Jean Kucera: Obituary for a copy of her obituary.
08/17

1975

Birthday

August 17, 1975

Birthdate

Columbus, Platte County, Nebraska 68784, United States

Birthplace

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Ethnicity & Family History

Laura was Caucasian, of Bohemian and Czechoslovakian heritage on her paternal line.
Nationality & Locations

Laura was born in Columbus, Platte County, Nebraska and she passed away in Wakefield, Dixon County, Nebraska United States 68784 at the young age of twenty years old. She spent all of her short life in Nebraska and is buried in Clarkson Catholic Cemetery in Clarkson, Colfax County, Nebraska.
Early Life & Education

Laura graduated from Wakefield High School in 1994 and she was a freshman at Wayne State College when she passed away. Wayne State College is a public college, located in Wayne Nebraska and is a part of the Nebraska State college system. Wakefield High School is located in Wakefield, Nebraska and is a public school. The school serves grades 7 - 12 and has a student body of 218.
Religious Beliefs

Laura was a Catholic and was buried in a Catholic cemetery.
Personal Life & Family

Laura was born to David J. Kucera and Mary Bierman. Her paternal grandparents were Agnes Kasal (1919 - 2003) and Joseph W. Kucera (died 1988). Agnes was born in Stanton County, Nebraska. Agnes' father, Laura's maternal great-grandfather, was born in Nebraska and her mother, Laura's maternal great-grandmother, was born in Bohemia (now known as the Czech Republic). The Kasai maternal and paternal lines were all born in Bohemia. On the Kucera line, Laura's paternal grandfather, "Joe" was born in Nebraska and her paternal grandmother, Ethel Podony, was born in Bohemia. Both of Ethel's parents were born in Czechoslovakia.
09/13

1995

Death

September 13, 1995

Death date

solo car accident

Cause of death

Wakefield, Dixon County, Nebraska 68784, United States
Death location

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Gravesite & Burial

mm/dd/yyyy
Funeral date
Clarkson Catholic Cemetery in Clarkson, Colfax County, NE
Burial location
Obituary

Laura J. Kucera funeral Sept. 16 Laura J. Kucera, 20, Wakefield, died Sept. 13, 1995, following an auto accident 4 miles northeast of Clarkson. Rev. Ronal Battiato officiated at the 10 a.m. funeral service on Sept. 16 at SS. Cyril and Methodius Catholic Church in Clarkson. Pallbearers were Ronald Kucera, Donald Kucera, Roger Kucera, John Bierman, Larry Bierman and Fred Bierman. Visitation was held at the Miller Funeral Home on Sept. 15 from 2 to 4:30 p.m. and after 5 p.m. at the church and at the church after 9 a.m. on Sept. 16. Rosary was prayed at 6:30 p.m. at the church on Sept. 15. The daughter of David and Mary (Bierman) Kucera, she was born in Columbus on Aug. 17, 1975. She began her education in Colfax County and completed it in Wakefield, where she graduated from Wakefield High School in 1994. She was a freshman at Wayne State College. Survivors include her parents; two sisters, Sabrina and Dorothy; five brothers, Joseph, Mathew, Charles, Benjamin and Patrick, all of Clarkson; grandmother, Agnes Kucera, Clarkson; aunts and uncles. She was preceded in death by her maternal grandparents and her paternal grandfather. Memorials are suggested to Haven House for Battered Women in Wayne. - This obituary appeared in The Schuyler Sun in Schuyler Nebraska on Thursday September 21, 1995.

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Laura Jean Kucera lived 56 years shorter than the average family member when died at the age of 20.

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14 Memories, Stories & Photos about Laura

Rochelle Hairston

2 favorites

02/25/2019

So heartbreaking to hear this brave strong girl survived such an awful attack to then lose her life shortly after.

Comments

Mary Stephen

2 favorites

02/20/2019

Rip Laura. Such a brave young lady

Comments

Daniel Pinna

10.5k+ favorites

11/21/2020

Woman with Gunshot Wound Survives Four Days in Ditch

The following article was written by the Associated Press on October 6th 1994:

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) _ A woman who was shot and left for dead survived four days in a ditch before police rescued her with the help of the man who allegedly pulled the trigger, her ex-boyfriend.

Laura Kucera, 19, of Wakefield was in critical condition Thursday night with a gunshot wound in her back. She was found unconscious Tuesday night in a remote wooded area in northeast Nebraska.

″We don’t know how she survived other than she must be very strong,″ said her mother, Mary Kucera.

Her ex-boyfriend Brian Anderson, 22, of Concord was charged with kidnapping and using a firearm to commit a felony. He was being held on a $250,000 bond.

Anderson had a history of stalking and harassing Miss Kucera, police records show. She had obtained a protection order against him on Aug. 15. The couple had dated for several months.

Miss Kucera disappeared Saturday night. Anderson had told authorities that he dropped her off outside a restaurant.

Four days later, he had second thoughts and led police to a ditch near Macy, about 75 miles north of Omaha.

″He was looking for love and ... he couldn’t handle it, I guess,″ Anderson’s father, Don, said. ″It’s just devastating to us, that something like this could happen.″

Comments

Eddy Rodriguez

14 favorites

08/13/2023

One more thing to add that I have to get off my chest the father of the attacker said that it was too much of a stiff sentence I studied law to be a criminal lawyer and to tell you the honest truth he deserved 350 years or life without parole his actions were out of this world cruel an evil with all the remorse in the world he deserves to die in prison he really deserve the death penalty I have a 20 year old daughter that's in Japan in the Marines studying to be a psychologist I could relate

Favorite (2)

Kathy Pinna

32.9k+ favorites

10/27/2021

Laura Jean Kucera

Photo of "Giz" on FindAGrave, shared by Larry Muse

Date & Place: Not specified or unknown.

Comments

Allyson Garcia

13 favorites

02/26/2022

Rest in heaven sweet angel you may be gone but you will never be forgotten ♥️♥️♥️

Favorite (1)

Daniel Pinna

10.5k+ favorites

07/26/2020

Laura Jean Kucera Gravesite

The grave of Laura Jean (Giz) Kucera who died after a fatal car crash.

Date & Place: at Clarkson Catholic Cemetery in Clarkson, Colfax County, Nebraska United States

Comments

Perla Gallegos

13 favorites

11/05/2022

I can't believe some people are crooked, and unscrupulous, in this world, Laura, you were strong enough to survive this tragic story, God bless you🙌🏻

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Daniel Pinna

10.5k+ favorites

08/31/2022

Woman Who Survived Shooting Dies in Crash

The following was written by the Associated Press and published in the L.A. Times on September 15th 1995. See

[external link]

for an archive.

OMAHA — A woman who survived four days in a ditch after being shot in the head by an ex-boyfriend, then struggled through therapy to walk again, was killed in an auto accident.
Laura Kucera, 20, died Wednesday on her way to visit her grandmother. Her car ran off a gravel road into a ditch and rolled.

Brian Anderson, 22, shot Kucera twice in the back of the head and once in the shoulder last October and left her for dead. He later had second thoughts and led rescuers to her. He was sentenced to up to 125 years in prison.

She spent 51 days in the hospital. She regained some use of her arms and had learned to walk again with some difficulty.

Comments

Rachel Perez

12 favorites

07/01/2022

Wow thats so crazy for her to survive and endure all.she did just to die just as year after so sad and so young just saw it on Netflix today never thought it was based on a true story

Comments

Kimberly Spinks

14 favorites

12/06/2021

Bless her heart. R.I.P. Little Lady

Comments

Laura Velazquez

13 favorites

11/21/2021

Hola vi la película ayer la verdad que valiente que fue Laura en no rendirse y levantarse una fuerte conexion con su madre , lastima q murio en un acídente. Que descanses en paz en donde quieras que estes 😇😇😇

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Laura Kucera's Family Tree & Friends

Laura Kucera's Family Tree

David Kucera

Mary Kucera

Laura Jean Kucera Aug 17, 1975 - Sep 13, 1995

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Other Biographies

Other Laura Kucera Biographies

Kucera, Laura (Jan 25, 1908 - Dec 1975)

Kucera, Laura (Sep 9, 1902 - Jan 1973)

Other Kucera Family Biographies

Kucera, Veronica (Dec 3, 1982 - Aug 24, 2008) Kucera, Eva (Mar 1, 1921 - Feb 2, 2009) Kucera, Ann (Dec 18, 1925 - Nov 18, 2009) Kucera, Jacqueline (Nov 21, 1928 - Oct 26, 2008) Kucera, Muriel (Died Aug 1974) Kucera, Paula (Mar 4, 1926 - Jan 11, 2002) Kucera, Anna (Jul 7, 1890 - Oct 1975) Kucera, George (Oct 22, 1909 - Aug 1986) Kucera, Andrew (Jan 7, 1907 - Sep 24, 1990) Kucera, Grace (Oct 10, 1915 - Aug 4, 2007)

Kucera, James (May 22, 1914 - Oct 20, 2000) Kucera, John (Jun 6, 1912 - Feb 16, 2002) Kucera, Mary (Feb 19, 1916 - Aug 7, 2010) Kucera, Mary (Dec 1, 1909 - May 1968) Kucera, Marie (Jul 11, 1909 - Apr 28, 1997) Kucera, Thomas (Jul 1, 1947 - Sep 1973) Kucera, Ladislav (Jan 20, 1927 - Jun 5, 2004) Kucera, Michael (Aug 13, 1902 - Oct 19, 1993) Kucera, Louis (May 15, 1888 - Mar 1970) Kucera, Lillian (May 30, 1926 - Jul 17, 2008)

About the AncientFaces Community

Laura Jean Kucera 1975 - 1995

Laura Jean Kucera's History: 1975 - 1995

Introduction

Birthday

Ethnicity & Family History

Nationality & Locations

Early Life & Education

Religious Beliefs

Personal Life & Family

Death

Gravesite & Burial

Obituary

14 Memories, Stories & Photos about Laura

Laura Kucera's Family Tree & Friends

Laura Kucera's Family Tree

Laura's Friends

Other Laura Kucera Biographies

Other Kucera Family Biographies