Martin Lecián was born on October 31, 1900, in Uherský Ostroh, which was part of Austria-Hungary at the time. His early life was troubled. After facing challenges in his childhood, he was placed in a youth detention center. Following his release, he began a life of crime. He was caught and punished by the Regional Court of Uherské Hradiště twice.

When Martin was old enough to serve in the military, he had a difficult time there too. He managed to flee five times during his service. After his last desertion, he met a woman named Maria Krenovska. Together, they began stealing valuable items across Moravia. Their method involved pulling out a thick cover from coffins to unlock and open the cash registers without disturbing any remains.

Eventually, Martin and Maria were caught in Prostějov and sent to a hospital in Olomouc. On December 10, 1926, Martin escaped from the hospital with a dangerous criminal named Szekely. During their escape, they injured two guards. Afterward, they stole from various places. On December 21, they split up in Bučovice. Martin chose to remain in Moravia while Szekely went to Slovakia.

On January 19, 1927, Martin Lecián committed his first murder in Slavkov u Brna. He shot municipal police officer Rudolf Hanák four times when the officer tried to stop him during a burglary. The following day, he attempted to kill a shop owner and another police officer in Poledňák. A month later, on February 19, Lecián killed guard František Marčík at the Grafony in Jihlava.

In mid-February, a gendarme in Jihlava recognized Lecián while he was on a train. Lecián shot the gendarme several times and then jumped out of the moving train to escape. Afterward, a reward of 10,000 korunas was offered for his capture. Even with the reward, Lecián began to wear a mask and continued with his crimes, becoming a figure of fascination for the public, who celebrated his actions and even composed songs about him.

His series of crimes escalated on March 8 when he shot Chancellor Antonín Stuchl in Veselí nad Moravou. Stuchl was expecting a child soon after marrying. Lecián then shot military chief Chvalovsky as well. Following these events, armed soldiers and gendarmes engaged Lecián in several shootouts. Near Polešovice, he was injured but still managed to escape the police.

Lecián was finally caught on April 23, 1927, in Nový Bohumín by police officers Halíř and Kaluža. His arrest led to a four-month investigation and a six-day trial. On September 31, 1927, he was sentenced to death for his crimes. However, on September 25, along with a deserter named Kašparik, he attempted to escape. During the escape, they seized a weapon and killed guard Ferenc Kisse but were soon recaptured after a brief shootout.

On October 6, 1927, Martin Lecián was executed by hanging at the Olomouc military prison.