Danish submarine murderer sentenced to life in prison over killing of journalist Kim Wall

Danish court house.
(Image credit: MARTIN SYLVEST/AFP/Getty Images)

Danish submarine inventor Peter Madsen, 47, has been sentenced to life in prison for the torture and grisly murder of journalist Kim Wall, 30. Life imprisonment is the maximum sentence in Denmark, and it is rarely imposed, The New York Times reports.

Madsen was unanimously convicted of sexually assaulting and killing Wall last year, with prosecutor Jakob Buch-Jepsen telling the court that it is "a case so heinous and repulsive that as a prosecutor, it renders you speechless." Wall, a freelance journalist, had met with Madsen for a trip on his submarine for a story she was working on in August 2017. The prosecutor argued Madsen had plotted to assault and kill Wall on board.

The submarine, which was sunk by Madsen in an apparent attempt to hide the evidence, was ordered by the court to be seized and destroyed.

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Jeva Lange

Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.