Swedish journalist Kim Wall was murdered aboard a private submarine in Danish waters on 10 August 2017 by its owner, Peter Madsen, who was later convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment.
On 10 August 2017, Swedish freelance journalist Kim Wall boarded the midget submarine UC3 Nautilus in Køge Bay, Denmark, to interview its owner, Danish entrepreneur Peter Madsen. Wall had arranged the interview earlier that year, and boarded the submarine around 19:00 local time. The vessel never returned to its Copenhagen harbour, and Wall's partner, Ole Stobbe, reported her missing to police in the early hours of the next day. Nautilus was later sighted in Køge Bay and foundered around 11:00 that morning; Madsen was arrested after being rescued from the water.
Following the sinking, Madsen initially told police he had dropped Wall off on land, but later admitted to dumping her body at sea, claiming she had died in an accident aboard the submarine. He offered shifting accounts of the cause of death, first claiming she was struck by a hatch cover and later suggesting she died from exhaust gas exposure; post-mortem examinations did not support either account. On 21 August 2017, a cyclist discovered Wall's torso washed ashore on Amager; a post-mortem found fifteen stab wounds, mostly in the groin area, and metal had been affixed to the torso apparently to prevent it from floating. Between October and November 2017, further searches by police divers, assisted by Swedish police cadaver dogs, recovered Wall's head, legs, clothing, a knife, a saw, and her arms from Køge Bay.
During the investigation, prosecutors said police found videos on Madsen's computer depicting the killing of women, and that witnesses described Madsen watching decapitation videos and practising asphyxiation during sex. Prosecutor Jakob Buch-Jepsen stated that no traces of Madsen's DNA were found on Wall's body, though semen traces were found on his underclothing; Madsen said he had not ejaculated in Wall's presence. On 16 January 2018, Madsen was formally charged with murder, indecent handling of a corpse, and sexual assault, with prosecutors alleging he had tortured Wall before killing her by cutting her throat or strangling her.
Madsen's trial began on 8 March 2018 at Copenhagen City Court. On 25 April 2018, he was convicted on all three charges and sentenced to life imprisonment. He appealed, but the sentence was upheld by the Eastern Denmark High Court on 26 September 2018. In August 2018, Madsen was hospitalised after being attacked by a fellow inmate. In a Danish documentary broadcast in September 2020, Madsen admitted that he had killed Kim Wall. On 20 October 2020, he briefly escaped custody by threatening a prison employee before being apprehended by police close to the prison.
Wall's case drew wide international attention and has since been the subject of several television and documentary productions, including Tobias Lindholm's dramatised series The Investigation (2020). Her family and friends established the Kim Wall Memorial Fund to support journalists covering underreported stories.
Swedish journalist Kim Wall was murdered aboard a private submarine in Danish waters on 10 August 2017 by its owner, Peter Madsen, who was later convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment.
Where did the murder happen?
Køge Bay, Denmark.
Who was convicted?
Peter Madsen (Danish entrepreneur and submarine owner convicted of murder, indecent handling of a corpse, and sexual assault; sentenced to life imprisonment.).
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