Inventor guilty of murdering reporter
Life for submarine killing
DANISH inventor Peter Madsen has been found guilty of torturing and murdering journalist Kim Wall during a private submarine trip.
The 47-year-old has been sentenced to life in prison.
Judge Anette Burkoe said she and two jurors unanimously decided the 30-year-old Swedish reporter’s death was murder, saying Madsen did not given “a trustworthy” explanation.
Madsen said he would appeal against the conviction and sentence.
The judge said: “It is the court’s assessment that the defendant killed Kim Wall.
“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.”
In Denmark, a life sentence equates to 16 years, which can be extended if necessary.
Throughout the trial which started last month at Copenhagen City Court, Madsen denied murder.
He claimed that Kim died accidentally on board the vessel but changed his story about how she died.
She embarked on Madsen’s homemade submarine on August 10 to interview the entrepreneur.
He initially denied dismembering her body, then confessed he had done so and said he had thrown her body parts into the Baltic Sea.
He listened quietly as the verdict was read out, looking down at the desk in front of him.
Prosecutor Jakob Buch-Jepsen claimed that the murder was sexually motivated and premeditated because Madsen brought tools he normally did not 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 up Kim’s remains.
The cause of death has never been established.