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Submarine owner Peter Madsen admits dismembering Swedish journalist Kim Wall

Danish inventor Peter Madsen has admitted dismembering the body of Swedish journalist Kim Wall, whose body parts were found at sea after she interviewed him on board his homemade submarine, Copenhagen Police have confirmed.

Submarine owner Peter Madsen admits dismembering Swedish journalist Kim Wall
Copenhagen Police lead investigator Jens Møller Jensen speaks to media. Photo: Stine Tidsvilde/Polfoto/Ritzau

In initial police questioning, Madsen, who is suspected of her death, had denied cutting up her body and said she died in an accident when a heavy submarine hatch fell on her head.

He has now changed his story to say she died of carbon monoxide poisoning while on board, police said in a statement.

“He has now explained that Kim Wall died as a result of carbon monoxide poisoning inside the submarine at a time when he was on deck,” police wrote.

“Furthermore, Peter Madsen has admitted that he subsequently dismembered her corpse and disposed of the body parts in Køge Bay,” the statement continued.

“This version of events naturally requires police to gather diverse supplementary statements from forensic specialists and submarine experts,” lead investigator Jens Møller Jensen said.

Madsen, 46, has also voluntarily extended his preliminary detention until November 15th, Copenhagen Police confirmed via press statement.

His detention on suspicion of killing Kim Wall has already been extended twice and had been due for review on October 31st.

Wall, a freelancer based in China and New York, never returned from her interview with Madsen on August 10th.

Her torso was found floating in Køge Bay on August 21st, and her head, legs and clothes were recovered in plastic bags in the same waters on October 7th.

Madsen, a self-taught engineer and inventor, has been held in custody on suspicion of killing Wall since August 11th and has now changed his version of events twice.

He denies killing the 30-year-old journalist.

READ ALSO: New findings in Denmark submarine investigation: Kim Wall was stabbed 'several times'

After intentionally sinking his submarine early on August 11th in Køge Bay, he was picked up by a rescue vessel and told police he had dropped Wall off on land after their interview the previous evening.

The following day, he changed his story to say a 70-kilo (154-pound) hatch fell on her head, killing her, and that he threw her body overboard, intact, in a panic.

That version of events was made public by Copenhagen City Court on September 5th.

Police said on October 7th that an autopsy of her head showed no sign of a skull injury.

The case has now been slated for a jury trial at Copenhagen City Court in the spring, Copenhagen Police also confirmed.

Eight days, spread between March 8th and April 25th 2018, have been initially set aside for the trial.

Scheduling of court proceedings was made with investigation of the case nearing completion, special prosecutor Jakob Buch-Jepsen said via the police statement.

“Naturally, there is still some investigation of relevant information to be completed, but the case is broadly ready. It will therefore now move into the presentation phase and I expect a decision to be made with regard to indictment by the end of the year,” Buch-Jepsen said.

Police divers have continued searching waters in Køge Bay over the last two weeks in an effort to locate Kim Wall’s arms as well as mobile telephones belonging to her and Madsen. That search has so far remained unsuccessful.

READ ALSO: Police divers find saw near Denmark submarine route

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IN NUMBERS: Has Sweden’s wave of deadly gang violence peaked?

The number of deadly shootings in Sweden has fallen after hitting a record in 2022, according to the latest annual statistics from the Swedish National Council for Crime Prevention (Brå). But violent killings continued to rise and more women and youths were victims.

IN NUMBERS: Has Sweden's wave of deadly gang violence peaked?

How bad was 2023 for violent homicide in general? 

With 121 violent homicides recorded, 2023 was the worst year for murder in Sweden since 2020, when 124 people were killed in violent attacks, continuing a rising trend seen since 2021. The number of violent killings was up 4 percent on 2022, when 116 people were killed. 

It’s worth pointing out, however, that this is still lower than the 129 people who died of “murder, manslaughter or violent attack” in Sweden back in 1989,  when the population was nearly 20 percent lower. 

The graph below shows how the number of violent homicides in Sweden rose sharply in about 2014, after which it has seen a gradual but unsteady increase.  

Homicides in Sweden between 2013 and 2023. Source: Brå
 
What about deadly shootings?
 
When it comes to the gang shootings that have dominated headlines in Sweden in recent years, there were signs of improvement, with 53 people shot dead in 2023, down from a record 63 in 2022.  
 
It’s hardly great news though, as 2023 still witnessed the second highest number of deadly shootings ever recorded in Sweden. 
 
The number of fatal stabbings also increased slightly in 2023 to 41 from 35 in 2022. 

 

Deadly shootings, stabbings and other forms of violent murder between 2013 and 2023. Source: Brå
 
Tragically, in 2023, gang criminals in Sweden increasingly began to target the relatives and loved ones of their rivals and also to use minors in their gang wars, leading to a spike in the number of women and youths killed. 
 
Ten more women and nine more people under the age of 18 died in violent attacks in 2023 than in 2022, pushing the number of female victims to 33 and the number of youth victims to 17. 
 
“This year more minors and women have been homicide victims compared with the year before,” Jan Lundbeck, a statistician at the council said in a press release. “This is partly a result of conflicts in criminal circles which had had deadly consequences in which people under the ae of 18 and even women have been affected.” 

Ten of the 33 women killed were in a relationship with their killer, the same number as in 2022. 

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