Peter Madsen

Peter Madsen is a Danish inventor and most likely responsible for the murder of the Swedish journalist Kim Wall.

The Crime
On 11 August 2017, Madsen was arrested after the sinking of UC3 Nautilus and the disappearance of Kim Wall, who last been seen alive aboard the submarine.

Madsen first claimed that he disembarked Wall on land at the tip of Refshaleøen on the night before the sinking. He later changed his statement, saying that she had died on board in an accident, and that he had buried her at sea.

According to the Danish police, the submarine was deliberately sunk, which contradicts Madsen's explanation regarding a technical fault. A human torso was found washed up on the coast of Amager on 21 August, which DNA tests concluded belonged to Kim Wall.

During a hearing on 5 September, Madsen instead stated that Wall was killed when he lost his grip on the submarine’s hatch cover, which he was holding open for her, and it hit her on the head, causing a skull fracture and death.

On 30 October 2017, Madsen now claimed that she had died from carbon monoxide poisoning on board the submarine, but his legal representation denied this, saying that Madsen did not know how she died. It was later confirmed by the police that he had made no clear statement on how she had died, but had said that she was inside the submarine when it contained exhaust gases.

In January 2018, Madsen was charged with murder, indecent handling of a corpse, and sexual assault. The prosecution accused him of having bound, hit, cut and stabbed Wall before killing her by cutting her throat or strangling her.