Murder of Kim Wall explained

Native Name:Ubådssagen ("Submarine case")
Native Name Lang:Danish
Date:10 or 11 August 2017
Location:Køge Bay, Denmark
Perpetrator:Peter Madsen
Charges:Murder, indecent handling of a corpse, sexual assault
Verdict:Guilty
Sentence:Life imprisonment

The murder of Kim Wall, known in Denmark as Danish: Ubådssagen, took place on 10 August 2017, after Swedish freelance journalist Kim Wall boarded the midget submarine UC3 Nautilus, in Køge Bugt, Denmark, with the intent of interviewing its owner, Danish entrepreneur Peter Madsen.

Kim Isabel Fredrika Wall[1] was reported missing after Nautilus failed to return to the harbour at Refshaleøen, Copenhagen. The submarine was found sunken the following morning and Madsen was arrested upon being rescued from the water. Between 21 August and 29 November, parts of Wall's dismembered body were found in different locations around the area. Charged with her murder, Madsen was convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment on 25 April 2018 by Copenhagen City Court[2] following a widely publicised trial.[3]

On 20 October 2020, Madsen briefly escaped from prison by threatening a prison employee but was surrounded and apprehended by police from the prison and taken into custody again. In 2020 a television dramatisation of the case was created by Tobias Lindholm.

Events

Disappearance and discovery of remains

On Thursday 10 August 2017, Wall and her partner Ole Stobbe were preparing to host a farewell party in Refshaleøen prior to their planned move to Beijing on 16 August.[4] [5] [6] Before the party, Wall received a text from Danish entrepreneur Peter Madsen—with whom she had requested an interview earlier in the year—inviting her to interview him on board his midget submarine UC3 Nautilus. She agreed to join him on the submarine for two hours and boarded Nautilus around 19:00 local time (UTC+2). The submarine never returned to the harbour and Stobbe called the police at 01:43 that night to report Wall missing. Nautilus was sighted in Køge Bay southeast of Amager by Drogden lighthouse at 10:30 the next morning; it foundered at 11:00.

On 21 August, a cyclist found Wall's torso washed up on a beach in the southwest of Amager.[7] A post-mortem examination found fifteen stab wounds,[8] mostly in the groin.[9] Metal had been affixed to her torso in an attempt to ensure it did not float.[10] On 6 October, assisted by cadaver dogs provided by the Swedish police,[11] [12] police divers found two plastic bags in Køge Bay containing Wall's head, legs, clothes and a knife; six days later, a saw was found in the water.[13] On 21 and 29 November, police divers found Wall's arms in the bay.[14] [15] [16] Police probed possible links to other murder cases in Scandinavia, including the unsolved death of 22-year-old Kazuko Toyonaga in 1986 in Copenhagen, but did not find connections to any of them.[17] [18] [19]

Legal proceedings

Madsen was arrested upon being rescued from Køge Bay after Nautilus foundered on 11 August and was charged with negligent manslaughter. Police suspected that he had scuttled the submarine.[20] [21] Madsen initially stated that he had dropped Wall off on land,[22] but then admitted to dumping her body at sea after she died in what he claimed was an accident on board Nautilus. He testified in a court hearing on 5 September that Wall died after being struck on the head by the submarine's hatch cover.[23] The prosecution said that police had found videos on Madsen's computer showing women being murdered,[24] and that witnesses said that Madsen watched videos of decapitation and practiced asphyxiation sex. Prosecutor Jakob Buch-Jepsen said that, while forensic investigations had not found any traces of Madsen's DNA on Wall's body, "... traces of semen" had been identified on underclothing secured from him after arrest. Madsen asserted that he had not ejaculated in Wall's presence.[25]

A post-mortem examination performed on Wall's head after it was found a month later found no signs of blunt force trauma[26] and did not determine the cause of death.[27] [28] Madsen subsequently changed his story, admitting to dismembering Wall's body but continuing to deny intentionally killing her, saying that she may have died after poisonous exhaust gases entered the submarine while he was on deck.[29] [30] The post-mortem performed on Wall's torso showed no signs of exhaust gases in her lungs.[31]

On 16 January 2018, Madsen was charged with murder, indecent handling of a corpse, and sexual assault. The prosecution accused him of having tortured Wall before killing her by cutting her throat or strangling her.[32] [33] Madsen's trial began on 8 March at Copenhagen Court House. On 25 April, he was convicted of all three charges and sentenced to life imprisonment. Madsen appealed his sentence and on 26 September Østre Landsret, High Court of Eastern Denmark, upheld the sentence.[34]

Aftermath

In August 2018, Madsen was admitted to hospital after being attacked in prison by an 18-year-old inmate.[35] In a Danish documentary in September 2020, Madsen admitted that he had killed Kim Wall.[36]

2020 prison escape attempt

On 20 October 2020, Madsen briefly escaped from prison by threatening a prison employee, said to have been a psychologist, using a "pistol-like object", before fleeing equipped with an object he claimed to be a bomb belt. The bomb squad was deployed, and Madsen was surrounded and apprehended by police 500m (1,600feet) from the prison, subsequently being taken back into custody.[37] [38]

Legacy

After her death, Wall's family and friends founded the Kim Wall Memorial Fund, aiming to fund female reporters to cover stories of cultural value.[39] A memorial run took place on 10 August 2018, the first anniversary of her murder, in which people around the world ran or walked a distance in her memory.[40] [41] In October 2017, Wall was posthumously nominated for Prix Europa's Outstanding Achievement Award "Journalist of the Year".[42] [43] On 9 November 2018, Wall's parents published a book in her memory titled Boken om Kim Wall: När orden tar slut (English: "The book of Kim Wall: When words end").[44] The book appeared in English in 2020 under the title A Silenced Voice and translated by Kathy Saranpa.[45] Also in 2018, Wall's boyfriend Stobbe related his experiences with the media coverage about the case in Danish newspaper Weekendavisen.[46] [47]

TV portrayals

Efterforskningen (English: The Investigation) is a Danish-language television dramatisation created by Tobias Lindholm, which follows the criminal investigation of the case. The six-part series premiered on 28 September 2020 on TV2 and SVT. It features Søren Malling as chief inspector Jens Møller, Pilou Asbæk as special prosecutor Jakob Buch-Jepsen, Rolf Lassgård and Pernilla August as Wall's parents, and Laura Christensen as investigator Maibritt Porse.

The Investigation does not feature Madsen or the crime itself, but focuses on the investigative work leading to his indictment and conviction. It has been compared to the 2020 BBC series The Salisbury Poisonings.[48] [49] The series was broadcast on UK's BBC Two between 22 January and 5 February 2021, remaining available on iPlayer for a year.[50] [51] HBO began showing it on 1 February 2021.[52] [53]

In March 2022, the TV mini-series Undercurrent: The Disappearance of Kim Wall was released. Directed by Erin Lee Carr, the series is a documentary that covers both the crime and subsequent trial in two parts. [54]

In September 2022, the Netflix film Into The Deep: The Submarine Murder Case was released. Directed by Emma Sullivan, the film uses documentary footage of Madsen, his friends and interns, that was being filmed to document his quest to launch a rocket into space using his submarine as a command centre.

See also

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Danish freelance journalist Kim Wall's head found in the sea of Copenhegen . October 7, 2017 . News Nation . News Nation Network Pvt Ltd . November 15, 2022.
  2. News: Peter Madsen sentenced to life for murdering journalist Kim Wall . Orange . Richard . 25 April 2018 . The Guardian . 25 April 2018 . 27 April 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180427094240/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/apr/25/peter-madsen-sentenced-life-murdering-kim-wall-submarine . live .
  3. News: 'Everyone is following it': millions gripped by Kim Wall murder trial as verdict nears . Orange . Richard . 22 April 2018 . The Guardian . en . 26 September 2018 . 26 September 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180926205456/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/apr/21/verdict-due-kim-wall-swedish-journalist-murder-trial-peter-madsen-submarine-inventor . live .
  4. News: 25 January 2018 . Nye oplysninger fra Kim Walls kæreste beskriver de sidste timer op til den skæbnesvangre sejlads . da-DK . nyheder.tv2.dk . live . 3 February 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180125194341/http://nyheder.tv2.dk/krimi/2018-01-24-kim-walls-kaereste-fortaeller-for-foerste-gang-om-forloebet-op-til-den . 25 January 2018.
  5. Jeong . May . 15 February 2018 . The final, terrible voyage of the 'Nautilus' . Wired . live . 6 March 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180306014150/https://www.wired.com/story/final-terrible-voyage-nautilus/ . 6 March 2018.
  6. News: Olsen . Jan M. . 6 March 2018 . Trial to begin in case of journalist killed in submarine . The Washington Post . dead . 6 March 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180306163629/https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/europe/trial-to-begin-in-case-of-journalist-killed-in-submarine/2018/03/06/3c4b2c54-2142-11e8-946c-9420060cb7bd_story.html . 6 March 2018 . 0190-8286.
  7. News: Kim Wall: Headless body identified as missing journalist . 23 August 2017 . BBC News . 29 August 2017 . 26 August 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170826202744/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-41021223 . live .
  8. News: Kim Wall 'stabbed 15 times' onboard Danish inventor's submarine . Henley . Jon . 3 October 2017 . The Guardian . 9 November 2017 . 0261-3077 . 10 November 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20171110171536/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/oct/03/denmark-submarine-trip-journalist-kim-wall-stabbed-15-times . live .
  9. News: Kim Wall was stabbed after boarding submarine, Danish prosecutor says . Sorensen . Martin Selsoe . 4 October 2017 . The New York Times . 9 November 2017 . 0362-4331 . 15 October 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20171015212355/https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/04/world/europe/kim-wall-peter-madsen-submarine.html . live .
  10. Into the Deep: The Submarine Murder Case . Sullivan . Emma . Video . . 2022.
  11. News: Danish Police Recover Body Parts of the Journalist Kim Wall (Published 2017). Christina. Anderson. The New York Times . 7 October 2017. NYTimes.com.
  12. News: Svenske lighunde hjalp med at finde Kim Walls hoved og ben . 7 October 2017 . . 27 July 2018 . da . Swedish corpse sniffing dogs helped find Kim Wall's head and legs . 11 March 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180311002835/https://www.dr.dk/nyheder/indland/svenske-lighunde-hjalp-med-finde-kim-walls-hoved-og-ben . live .
  13. News: Sav fundet i Køge Bugt i forbindelse med ubådssagen . 12 November 2017 . . 30 November 2017 . da . Saw found in Køge bay in connection to the submarine case . 11 November 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20171111060424/http://nyheder.tv2.dk/krimi/2017-10-12-sav-fundet-i-koege-bugt-i-forbindelse-med-ubaadssagen . live .
  14. Web site: Politiet har fundet endnu en arm med forbindelse til ubådssagen . Toft . Emma . 29 November 2017 . DR.dk . . da . Police has found another arm connected to the submarine case . 29 November 2017 . 30 November 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20171130003854/https://www.dr.dk/nyheder/indland/politiet-har-fundet-endnu-en-arm-med-forbindelse-til-ubaadssagen . live .
  15. News: Politiet har fundet endnu en arm i Køge Bugt . 29 November 2017 . . 29 November 2017 . da . Police finds another arm in Køge Bay . 26 April 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180426125019/http://nyheder.tv2.dk/krimi/2017-11-29-politiet-har-fundet-endnu-en-arm-i-koege-bugt . live .
  16. News: A Copenhagen killing: the story behind the submarine murder . Orange . Richard . 7 January 2018 . The Observer . 11 January 2018 . 0029-7712 . 11 January 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180111065609/https://www.theguardian.com/global/2018/jan/07/copenhagen-killing-peter-madsen-kim-wall-murder-submarine . live .
  17. News: Danish police probe possible link between Kim Wall killing and 1986 cold case . 25 August 2017 . The Telegraph . 17 November 2017 . 0307-1235 . 14 November 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20171114194456/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/08/25/danish-police-probe-possible-link-kim-walls-murder-1986-cold/ . live .
  18. News: 30 år efter makaber sag: Hænger uopklaret turist-mord sammen med ubådsmysteriet? . BT.dk . 30 years after macabre case: Is unsolved tourist murder linked to submarine mystery? . Bakalus . Silla . Svensgaard . Karina . 23 August 2017 . da . 17 November 2017 . 14 September 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170914174917/https://www.bt.dk/krimi/30-aar-efter-makaber-sag-haenger-uopklaret-turist-mord-sammen-med-ubaadsmysteriet . live .
  19. News: Norsk politi har undersøgt Peter Madsens dna-profil . . Norwegian police has checked the DNA profile of Peter Madsen . 11 October 2017 . 29 November 2017 . da . 18 November 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20171118031713/http://nyheder.tv2.dk/krimi/2017-10-11-norsk-politi-har-undersoegt-peter-madsens-dna-profil . live .
  20. News: Kim Wall: Danish submarine was 'deliberately sunk' . 13 August 2017 . 13 August 2017 . . 24 August 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170824034750/http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-40916787 . live .
  21. News: Submarine builder arrested on suspicion of killing journalist after vessel sinks . Koerner . Claudia . 12 August 2017 . 12 August 2017 . . 12 August 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170812200516/https://www.buzzfeed.com/claudiakoerner/submarine-builder-arrested-on-suspicion-of-killing . live .
  22. News: Inventor admits dismembering body of Swedish journalist who disappeared on submarine . Kentish . Ben . 30 October 2017 . The Independent . 15 November 2017 . 14 November 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20171114220325/http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/kim-wall-latest-updates-submarine-inventor-peter-madsen-admits-dismembering-body-swedish-journalist-a8027281.html . live .
  23. News: Danish submarine owner claims journalist Kim Wall died when she was hit by hatch cover . The Telegraph . Orange . Richard . 5 September 2017 . 5 September 2017 . 6 September 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170906160304/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/09/05/danish-submarine-owner-claims-journalist-kim-wall-died-hit-hatch/ . live .
  24. News: Danish inventor had murder videos on his computer: prosecutor . Thomsen . Julie Astrid . 3 October 2017 . 1 November 2017 . . 7 November 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20171107002553/https://www.reuters.com/article/us-denmark-submarine/danish-inventor-had-murder-videos-on-his-computer-prosecutor-idUSKCN1C8230 . live .
  25. News: Danish inventor denies murder of Kim Wall as trial opens . Orange . Richard . 8 March 2018 . 6 February 2021 . .
  26. News: Kim Walls hoved er fundet – uden kraniebrud eller andre tegn på "stump vold" . Fajstrup . Marianne . da . Kim Wall's head found – with no fracture and no blunt trauma . b.dk . 7 October 2017 . 7 October 2017 . 7 October 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20171007110254/https://www.b.dk/nationalt/kim-walls-hoved-er-fundet-uden-kraniebrud-eller-andre-tegn-paa-stump-vold . live .
  27. News: Journalist Kim Wall's head is found . 7 October 2017 . BBC News . 7 October 2017 . 7 October 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20171007083607/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-41536552 . live .
  28. News: Slawson . Nicola . Police find head of murdered Swedish journalist Kim Wall . The Guardian . 7 October 2017 . 7 October 2017 . 7 October 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20171007093204/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/oct/07/police-find-head-of-murdered-swedish-journalist-kim-wall . live .
  29. News: Inventor admits dismembering Kim Wall . 30 October 2017 . BBC News . 30 October 2017 . 30 October 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20171030130428/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-41804590 . live .
  30. News: Politiet præciserer udmelding om Peter Madsen efter kritik . . Clarification by the police after criticism . 1 November 2017 . 29 November 2017 . da . 1 November 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20171101231151/http://nyheder.tv2.dk/krimi/2017-11-01-politiet-praeciserer-udmelding-om-peter-madsen-efter-kritik . live .
  31. News: Coroner testifies in trial of submarine owner over death of Swedish journalist . 22 March 2018 . . 24 March 2018 . 24 March 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180324223932/https://www.thelocal.se/20180322/coroner-testifies-in-trial-of-peter-madsen-over-death-of-swedish-journalist-kim-wall . live .
  32. News: Peter Madsen formally charged with murder of Kim Wall on submarine . Henley . Jon . 16 January 2018 . The Guardian . 24 January 2018 . 15 June 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190615190137/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/jan/16/peter-madsen-charged-with-submarine-of-kim-wall . live .
  33. News: Danish inventor abused Kim Wall before killing her, indictment says . Sorensen . Martin Selsoe . 2018 . The New York Times . 24 January 2018 . 0362-4331 . 7 October 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20191007051908/https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/23/world/europe/peter-madsen-kim-wall.html . live .
  34. Web site: Ilsøe . Trine Maria . Dom i ubådssagen: Peter Madsen idømt livstid i landsretten . dr.dk . . 26 September 2018 . da . 26 September 2018 . 26 September 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180926092844/https://www.dr.dk/live/nyheder/live/2753792 . live .
  35. News: Peter Madsen overfaldet af ung medfange . 10 August 2018 . DR . 11 August 2018 . da . Peter Madsen assaulted by a young fellow prisoner . 11 August 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180811194413/https://www.dr.dk/nyheder/indland/peter-madsen-overfaldet-af-ung-medfange . live .
  36. News: 2020-09-09 . Kim Wall: Danish inventor 'confesses murder' in new documentary . en-GB . BBC News . 2020-09-29 . 9 September 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200909224537/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-54018795 . live .
  37. News: 2020-10-20. Danish submarine killer Madsen caught in prison escape. en-GB. BBC News. 2020-11-03. 20 October 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20201020193446/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-54612455. live.
  38. https://news.sky.com/story/peter-madsen-police-surround-danish-inventor-who-killed-journalist-after-prison-escape-attempt-12109038 Peter Madsen: Police surround Danish inventor who killed journalist after prison escape attempt
  39. Web site: Kim Wall Memorial Fund . 2 September 2017 . 3 September 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170903212719/https://www.rememberingkimwall.com/grant . live .
  40. Web site: One year on: Kim Wall remembered around the world with run event . 10 August 2018 . cphpost.dk . 11 August 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20181022160344/http://cphpost.dk/general/one-year-on-kim-wall-remembered-around-the-world-with-run-event.html . 22 October 2018 . dead.
  41. News: Næsten 600 løb for Kim Wall – herunder den danske drabschef . 10 August 2018 . Politiken . 11 August 2018 . da-DK . 11 August 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180811111731/https://politiken.dk/udland/art6658097/N%C3%A6sten-600-l%C3%B8b-for-Kim-Wall-herunder-den-danske-drabschef . live .
  42. News: Kim Wall kan vinna pris som Europas bästa journalist . Almlöf . Gabriel . 16 October 2017 . 24trelleborg.se . 31 October 2017 . sv-SE . Kim Wall may win the prize for Europe's best journalist . https://web.archive.org/web/20171107020013/http://24trelleborg.se/2017/10/16/kim-wall-kan-vinna-pris-som-europas-basta-journalist/ . 7 November 2017 . dead.
  43. Web site: Nominations for Outstanding Achievement Award . 5 October 2017 . prixeuropa.eu . 31 October 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20171107023813/http://prixeuropa.eu/news/20171005-nominations-outstanding-achievement-award . 7 November 2017 . dead.
  44. News: Mother publishes book on murdered Swedish journalist Kim Wall . 11 November 2018 . 30 November 2018 . en-GB . 30 November 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20181130071704/https://www.thelocal.se/20181111/mother-of-murdered-journalist-kim-wall-publishes-book-on-fdaughter . live .
  45. Web site: Journalist Kim Wall's Parents Show She Was More Than A Victim In 'A Silenced Voice' . 2020-09-29 . NPR.org . en . 30 August 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200830171725/https://www.npr.org/2020/07/07/886539792/journalist-kim-walls-parents-show-she-was-more-than-a-victim-in-a-silenced-voice . live .
  46. Web site: Kim Walls pojkvän bryter tystnaden . 9 May 2018 . 2 October 2020 . 24 October 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20201024153016/https://www.journalisten.se/nyheter/kim-walls-pojkvan-bryter-tystnaden . live .
  47. Web site: Hvad medierne låner, leveres aldrig tilbage . 8 August 2019 . Stobbe . Ole . 2 October 2020 . 3 October 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20201003173845/https://www.weekendavisen.dk/2019-32/samfund/hvad-medierne-laaner-leveres-aldrig-tilbage . live .
  48. Web site: 2020-09-24 . Tobias Lindholm: "'Utredningen' handlar om att hitta ljuset i ett svart hål" . 2020-09-29 . DN.SE . sv . 24 September 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200924120217/https://www.dn.se/kultur/tobias-lindholm-utredningen-handlar-om-att-hitta-ljuset-i-ett-svart-hal/ . live .
  49. https://www.sydsvenskan.se/2020-09-25/pernilla-august-forsta-tanken-var-nej-tack (in Swedish)
  50. News: Independent. How the writer of Borgen took on the murder of Kim Wall in The Investigation. Rampton, James. 20 January 2021. 6 February 2021.
  51. Web site: BBC: The Investigation. 6 February 2021.
  52. Web site: HBO TV Schedule. HBO.
  53. News: 'The Investigation' Is 2021's First Great Drama: TV Review . D'Addario . Daniel . 29 January 2021 . Variety . en . 2 March 2021.
  54. Web site: Sarachan . Risa . 'Undercurrent' HBO Documentary Explores Story Behind The Murder Of Journalist Kim Wall . 2022-05-15 . Forbes . en.

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