Danish inventor Peter Madsen to stand trial for murder of journalist Kim Wall on submarine
Madsen stands accused of sexually assaulting, murdering and dismembering the Swedish journalist
![Peter Madsen](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/n7NHrXS4XA3niPVosBwbga-415-80.jpg)
Danish inventor Peter Madsen is expected to stand trial today for the murder of Swedish journalist Kim Wall.
Madsen has been accused of sexually assaulting, torturing and murdering Wall after she joined him aboard his homemade submarine for an interview last August.
He faces charges including murder, dismemberment and “sexual relations other than intercourse of a particularly dangerous nature”.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
![https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516-320-80.jpg)
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Wall’s dismembered torso was found on a beach 10 days after she disappeared following her interview with Madsen. Over the following weeks, police divers found other parts of her body in plastic bags weighed down by pieces of metal.
Madsen told authorities that Wall had died after she hit her head on the submarine. He later changed his story, saying she had been “killed by carbon monoxide poisoning inside the submarine” while he remained on deck, the BBC reports.
Although the Dane denies killing Wall, he “has admitted to cutting her up” before burying her at sea, says ITV.
The prosecution say they believe Madsen killed Wall to “fulfill sadistic sexual fantasies, tying her up and beating and stabbing her, and then either strangling her to death or beheading her”, says The Guardian. Dozens of witnesses are scheduled to give testimony during the trial.
Lasse Lund Madsen, professor of criminal law at Aarhus University, told CNN that calling that many witnesses “means some of them are likely there to shed light on surrounding factors, I would assume to try to prove the murder was planned”.
Madsen’s defence lawyer Betaina Hald Engmark has formally submitted a not guilty plea to the murder charge.
If found guilty, Madsen is likely to either serve 15 to 17 years in prison without parole or be sent to a psychiatric hospital.
The 47-year-old entrepreneur was considered a minor celebrity in Denmark, often referred to as “Rocket-Madsen” because of his dream to be the first Dane to fly into space on a privately-built rocket.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Why the UK phone signal is so poor
Under The Radar Having trouble connecting? A lack of investment, planning rules and even your home could be to blame
By Elizabeth Carr-Ellis, The Week UK Published
-
Battleground states to watch in the 2024 election
In Depth These seven states could end up deciding who wins the White House this year
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
Leave the crowds behind at these 7 sensational hotels
The Week Recommends Traveling in September means more room to explore
By Catherine Garcia, The Week US Published
-
Iwao Hakamada: Japan's record-breaking death row prisoner
Under the Radar Former boxer spent 46 years condemned to execution but his retrial could clear his name
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
How strawberries are funding crime in Sweden
Under the Radar Police say illegal fruit sales turn over 'billions' of kronor a year for gangsters
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
France's 'swinger' capital rocked by fortune teller scandal
Under the Radar Mayor charged with corruption for 'lavishing' taxpayers' money on clairvoyant who 'impersonated' his dead father
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Trump hush money trial: what has the jury heard?
Today's Big Question Former loyal fixer Michael Cohen proves star witness for prosecution, but Stormy Daniels's graphic testimony could offer grounds for appeal
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Weinstein's appeal: a blow to #MeToo
Talking Points Is 'shocking' reversal of symbolic conviction a sign of weakening movement?
By The Week UK Published
-
Do youth curfews work?
Today's big question Banning unaccompanied children from towns and cities is popular with some voters but is contentious politically
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Sydney mall attacker may have targeted women
Speed Read Police commissioner says gender of victims is 'area of interest' to investigators
By Julia O'Driscoll, The Week UK Published
-
Why are kidnappings in Nigeria on the rise again?
Today's Big Question Hundreds of children and displaced people are missing as kidnap-for-ransom 'bandits' return
By Julia O'Driscoll, The Week UK Published