Inventor given life term for ‘cynical and planned’ murder of woman on submarine

Inventor given life term for ‘cynical and planned’ murder of woman on submarine

Danish submarine inventor Peter Madsen has been given a life sentence after being found guilty of torturing and murdering Swedish reporter Kim Wall before dismembering her body during a private submarine trip.

Copenhagen City Court Judge Anette Burkoe said she and two jurors unanimously decided Wall’s death was a murder, finding Madsen also guilty of sexual assault and the defilement of a corpse.

“It is the court’s assessment that the defendant killed Kim Wall,” Ms Burkoe told the packed courtroom.

During the 12 days of the trial that began on March 8, the court heard evidence that Madsen, 47, lured 30-year-old Wall on to his homemade submarine with the promise of an interview she had been trying to get for months.

Denmark Journalist Killed
Madsen’s private submarine sits on a pier in Copenhagen harbour (Jens Dresling/AP)

Her dismembered torso was found days later at sea off Copenhagen, and other body parts were found in plastic bags in October.

“We are talking about a cynical and planned sexual assault and brutal murder of a random woman, who in connection with her journalistic work had accepted an offer to go sailing in the defendant’s submarine,” Ms Burkoe told the court.

Life sentences in Denmark usually equate to 16 years in prison, but prisoners are re-assessed during their incarceration to determine whether they would constitute a danger to society if released and should be kept longer.

Immediately after the verdict, Madsen’s lawyer, Betina Hald Engmark, told the court she would appeal.

Peter Madsen picture in front of his submarine (Hougaard Niels/AP)
Peter Madsen picture in front of his submarine (Hougaard Niels/AP)

Ms Wall’s parents were not present for the verdict but prosecutor Jakob Buch-Jepsen said that after the ruling he spoke with other family members who were present.

“We are, of course, very satisfied that the court has accepted the arguments of the prosecution and handed the heaviest sentence in Danish law,” he said.

Throughout the trial Madsen denied murder, saying 30-year-old Wall died accidentally inside the submarine.

  • Initially he told authorities that he had dropped her off on shore and did not know what had happened to her.
  • He then claimed she had died accidentally when hit in the head by the submarine’s hatch.
  • Finally, after her decapitated head was found by police divers in a weighted-down bag along with her appendages and the skull showed no signs of fracture, he said she had been asphyxiated in a malfunction aboard the submarine.
  • He also initially denied dismembering her, then confessed that he had done so and said he had thrown her body parts into the Baltic Sea.

Initially he told authorities that he had dropped her off on shore and did not know what had happened to her.

He then claimed she had died accidentally when hit in the head by the submarine’s hatch.

Finally, after her decapitated head was found by police divers in a weighted-down bag along with her appendages and the skull showed no signs of fracture, he said she had been asphyxiated in a malfunction aboard the submarine.

File photo of police and other authorities searching for a body during the Kim Wall case (Jens Dresling/AP)
Police and other authorities searching for a body during the Kim Wall murder investigation (Jens Dresling/AP)

Ms Burkoe noted the discrepancies, saying Madsen “failed to give trustworthy explanations”.

She added that evidence also showed he “has shown interest for killing and maiming of people and has shown interest for impaling”.

Madsen listened quietly as the verdict was read, looking down at the desk in front of him.

Prosecutor Buch-Jepsen claimed Ms Wall’s murder was sexually motivated and premeditated because Madsen brought along tools he normally didn’t take when sailing, including a saw and sharpened screwdrivers.

Madsen’s defence lawyer had argued for his acquittal on the charge of murder, saying he should only be sentenced for the lesser charge of cutting Ms Wall’s body into pieces.

The cause of death has never been established but the court found that Madsen “cut the body into pieces to hide what had happened”.

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