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Murder of Kim Wall

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Murder of Kim Wall
Date10 or 11 August 2017
LocationBay of Køge, Denmark
TypeSuspected homicide
SuspectsPeter Madsen

On the night of 10–11 August 2017, Swedish freelance journalist Kim Wall disappeared while on board the UC3 Nautilus, a privately built midget submarine owned by Danish inventor Peter Madsen, in the bay of Køge, Denmark. The submarine sank under suspicious circumstances on the morning of 11 August; Madsen was rescued afterwards. Ten days later, Wall's torso was found washed up on a beach in the south west of Amager. Madsen was initially charged with negligent manslaughter for the incident. The charges were later changed to manslaughter after Wall's autopsy showed she had been stabbed more than 14 times.[1] Her head and legs were found by Danish police divers on 6 October.

Victim

Kim Wall
Born
Kim Isabel Fredrika Wall

(1987-03-23)23 March 1987
Trelleborg, Scania, Sweden[2]
Died10 or 11 August 2017 (aged 30)
Bay of Køge, Denmark
Alma materLondon School of Economics
Columbia University
OccupationJournalist
Websitewww.kim-wall.com

Kim Isabel Fredrika Wall[3] (Swedish pronunciation: [kɪmː valː]) was born on 23 March 1987 and grew up in Trelleborg, in the Scania region of southern Sweden.[2][4] She attended the Malmö Borgarskola gymnasium and took part in an International Baccalaureate program,[2] later studying at the London School of Economics & Political Science, from which she graduated with a bachelor's degree (which included several months through the University of Beijing) in international relations in 2011.[5] She continued with graduate studies in journalism and international affairs at Columbia University in New York City, for which she received a scholarship from the Sweden–America Foundation.[5][6] She finished this study with a Master's degree in international affairs from the School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA) at Columbia University.[2]

Wall worked as a freelance journalist. Her work was published in The Guardian,[7] The New York Times, Vice,[8] Slate,[9] Harper's Magazine and Time magazine.[10][11] Topics she wrote about included the new Chinatown in Uganda,[12] Gibtown,[13] the problems of restarting tourism in Haiti,[14] real-life "vampires",[15] and Idi Amin's torture chambers in Uganda.[16] In 2016, she was awarded the Hansel Mieth Prize for Best Digital Reportage for "Exodus", a multi-media report on climate change and nuclear weapons testing in the Marshall Islands.[17] "Exodus" was translated into German and published by Süddeutsche Zeitung.[18] After her death, her family and friends started the Kim Wall Memorial Grant to fund female reporters to cover stories of cultural value.[19]

Disappearance, discovery of body and proceedings

See also: UC3 Nautilus § Kim Wall, and Peter Madsen (inventor) § Kim Wall
UC3 Nautilus

At around 7:00pm local time (UTC+2) on 10 August 2017, Wall went to Refshaleøen, Copenhagen, Denmark, and boarded the submarine UC3 Nautilus to interview its owner, Danish inventor Peter Madsen. According to a former classmate from Columbia University, she wanted to pitch a report for Wired.[2] UC3 Nautilus was scheduled to sail from Copenhagen to the island of Bornholm for an exhibit the next day. Later in the night, Madsen sent a text to his crew saying the trip had been cancelled.[20][21][22] When the submarine failed to return to harbour on time, Wall's partner alerted the authorities and a sea and land search operation was launched, based in the port of Øresund.[23][21]

At 10:30 on 11 August, UC3 Nautilus was sighted in the bay just south-east of Amager by Drogden lighthouse.[24] About thirty minutes later, the vessel sank south of Amager[24] and Madsen was rescued by a private boat, transporting him into port. Swedish police subsequently declared Wall missing.[25] Later that day, Danish police charged Madsen with negligent manslaughter, suspecting him of having scuttled UC3 Nautilus to conceal or destroy evidence.[26][27][28] UC3 Nautilus came to rest at a depth of 7 metres (23 ft), where it was approached by divers. However, it was not possible to enter the submarine under those conditions, so a cargo ship was contracted to resurface the submarine and allow access for homicide investigators.[26] On 12 August, Madsen said in closed court he "buried [Wall] at sea" following an accident. On 14 August, the police said the submarine sank due to a deliberate act.[29] On 21 August, the torso of a woman was found washed up on a beach in the south-west of Amager.[24] The police identified the torso as Wall's on 23 August, saying it had been "deliberately mutilated."[30][31]

Madsen testified before a court on 5 September that, as he was holding the submarine's 70 kg (150 lb) hatch cover open for Wall, he lost his footing, causing it to shut and hit her on the head, and that she fell down a nearby shaft to her death.[32] Madsen said he was in a state of "suicidal psychosis" when he disposed of the body, arguing he was not thinking rationally at the time.[33] The prosecution said police had found hair and blood in the submarine's toilet and a pair of knickers in the engine room, and that witnesses said they had seen Madsen watching videos of decapitation and practicing "asphyxiation sex".[32]

Investigator Jens Møller told the press Wall's torso had been stabbed multiple times to prevent air and gas buildup inside from floating it to the surface, and that a piece of metal had been fastened to it to ensure its sinking to the bottom.[34] On 6 October, two plastic bags containing Wall's head, legs, clothes and a knife were found by police divers in Køge Bugt. The bags had also been weighed down with pieces of metal. At a press conference the next day, police announced an autopsy performed on the remains had not determined the cause of death.[35][36][37] When asked if the findings ruled out Wall being killed by the submarine's falling hatch cover, the police said her head showed no signs of fractures or blunt trauma.[38]

See also

References

  1. ^ Sorensen, Martin Selsoe (4 October 2017). "Kim Wall Was Stabbed After Boarding Submarine, Danish Prosecutor Says". The New York Times. Retrieved 4 October 2017.
  2. ^ a b c d e Lundberg, Simon (23 August 2017). "Journalisten Kim Wall blev bara 30 år – så var hennes liv" [Journalist Kim Wall was only 30 years old – this was her life]. Nyheter24 (in Swedish). Retrieved 25 August 2017.
  3. ^ "Ubåtsaken: Dansk politi fant del av kvinnekropp i vannet". Aftenposten. Retrieved 28 August 2017.
  4. ^ "What has happened to the missing journalist Kim Wall?". BBC News. Retrieved 22 August 2017.
  5. ^ a b Sorensen, Martin Selsoe (23 August 2017). "Kim Wall Is Confirmed Dead as Danish Inventor Is Investigated". The New York Times. Retrieved 24 August 2017.
  6. ^ "About". Kim Wall's website. Retrieved 22 August 2017.
  7. ^ "Kim Wall". The Guardian.
  8. ^ "Meet the Stars Behind the May Issue of Vice Magazine". Vice. 16 May 2016. Retrieved 25 August 2017.
  9. ^ "Kim Wall". Slate.
  10. ^ Masters, James; Chalmers, Sophia (21 August 2017). "Missing journalist Kim Wall 'died in an accident,' submarine owner says". CNN. Retrieved 21 August 2017.
  11. ^ Nadeau, Barbie (23 August 2017). "A Rocket Scientist, a Sub, and the Headless Torso Identified as Journalist Kim Wall". The Daily Beast. Retrieved 23 August 2017.
  12. ^ Choksi, Mansi; Wall, Kim (22 May 2016). "Inside the Ugandan Mall at the Center of China's East African Investments". Vice. Retrieved 25 August 2017.
  13. ^ Wall, Kim; Clerici, Caterina (26 February 2015). "Welcome to Gibtown, the last 'freakshow' town in America". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 25 August 2017.
  14. ^ Wall, Kim; Clerici, Caterina (22 April 2016). "Is This Tiny Island the Key to Restoring Haitian Tourism?". Slate. ISSN 1091-2339. Retrieved 25 August 2017.
  15. ^ Wall, Kim (15 August 2015). "Interview with a real-life vampire: why drinking blood isn't like in Hollywood". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 25 August 2017.
  16. ^ Wall, Kim (27 December 2016). "Ghost stories". Harper's. Retrieved 25 August 2017.
  17. ^ "Hansel-Mieth-Preise 2016: Die Entscheidung" [Hansel Mieth Awards 2016: The decision]. Zeitenspiegel (in German). Retrieved 22 August 2017.
  18. ^ Hinzel, Jan Hendrik; Jose, Coleen; Wall, Kim. "Wo die Welt gerade untergeht" [Where the world is going down]. Süddeutsche Zeitung (in German). Retrieved 25 August 2017.
  19. ^ "Kim Wall Memorial Grant".
  20. ^ Vissing, Emilie Holt (12 August 2017). "Peter Madsen aflyste torsdag aften planlagt ubådstur over sms". Jyllands-Posten (in Danish). Retrieved 12 August 2017. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |trans_title= ignored (|trans-title= suggested) (help)
  21. ^ a b Fajstrup, Marianne (12 August 2017). "Drabssigtet ubådskaptajn sendte mystisk SMS til sin besætning". Berlingske (in Danish). Retrieved 12 August 2017. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |trans_title= ignored (|trans-title= suggested) (help)
  22. ^ "Ven til drabssigtet ubådsejer: Der er intet suspekt ved SMS'er". Berlingske (in Danish). 12 August 2017. Retrieved 12 August 2017. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |trans_title= ignored (|trans-title= suggested) (help)
  23. ^ "Forsvaret leder efter privat ubåd: Frygter den er sunket i Øresund" [The Danish Defence is searching private submarine: Fears it has sunk in Øresund]. DR (in Danish). 11 August 2017.
  24. ^ a b c "Kim Wall: Headless body identified as missing journalist". BBC News. 23 August 2017. Retrieved 29 August 2017.
  25. ^ "2017-08-11 11:25, Försvunnen person, Skåne" [2017-08-11 11:25, Missing person, Skåne] (in Swedish). Swedish Police Authority. 11 August 2017. Retrieved 12 August 2017.
  26. ^ a b "Kim Wall: Danish submarine was 'deliberately sunk'". BBC News. 13 August 2017. Retrieved 13 August 2017.
  27. ^ "Svensk journalist forsvundet: Ubådsejer sigtet for drab". Ekstra Bladet (in Danish). 11 August 2017. Retrieved 12 August 2017. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |trans_title= ignored (|trans-title= suggested) (help)
  28. ^ Koerner, Claudia (12 August 2017). "Submarine Builder Arrested On Suspicion Of Killing Journalist After Vessel Sinks". BuzzFeed. Retrieved 12 August 2017.
  29. ^ "Eftersøgningen fortsætter i sag om ubåd". Mynewsdesk (in Danish). 14 August 2017. Retrieved 16 August 2017. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |trans_title= ignored (|trans-title= suggested) (help)
  30. ^ Selsoe Sorensen, Martin (21 August 2017). "Danish Submarine Inventor Says He Buried Swedish Journalist at Sea". The New York Times. Retrieved 21 August 2017.
  31. ^ "Police identify headless torso as that of missing journalist Kim Wall". The Washington Post. 23 August 2017. Retrieved 23 August 2017.
  32. ^ a b Orange, Richard (5 September 2017). "Danish submarine owner claims journalist Kim Wall died when she was hit by hatch cover". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 7 October 2017.
  33. ^ "Danish submarine owner claims journalist Kim Wall died when she was hit by hatch cover". The Telegraph. Retrieved 5 September 2017.
  34. ^ "Drabschef: Kim Walls lig skulle blive på havbunden". DR (in Danish). Retrieved 24 August 2017.
  35. ^ "Decapitated head of journalist Kim Wall found after submarine disappearance". Retrieved 7 October 2017.
  36. ^ "Journalist Kim Wall's head is found". BBC News. 7 October 2017. Retrieved 7 October 2017.
  37. ^ Slawson, Nicola (7 October 2017). "Police find head of murdered Swedish journalist Kim Wall". The Guardian. Retrieved 7 October 2017.
  38. ^ Fajstrup, Marianne. "Kim Walls hoved er fundet - uden kraniebrud eller andre tegn på "stump vold"". b.dk (in Danish). {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |trans_title= ignored (|trans-title= suggested) (help)

Murder in Denmark

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