Man sentenced to life for murdering ex-partner in Turku
Wednesday 17th June 2026 on 14:16 in
Finland
A 43-year-old man has been sentenced to life imprisonment for murdering his ex-partner in Turku’s Harittu district in March, the Southwest Finland District Court ruled on Wednesday.
The man was also convicted of assaulting his 13-year-old child and of two sexual offences: aggravated sexual violation of a child and sexual violation. The court dismissed a charge of illegal threats. Details of the sexual offences and their rulings were ordered to be kept confidential.
The court found the man had waited for his ex-partner and their child in the stairwell of an apartment building on Savonkatu early one weekday morning, armed with a folding knife. When the victims left the apartment, he forced his way inside. The situation inside lasted about two hours, during which the man subjected the woman to severe violence, using a knife found in the apartment. She died from her injuries.
The murder followed an attempted escape by the woman and child, which the man interrupted. The prosecutor stated he had physically assaulted the child by hitting and pushing them.
The woman and child had fled to a shelter in December 2025 after leaving their shared home. The woman reported the man to authorities and told shelter staff they feared him. She filed for divorce and a restraining order, though the latter was dropped after both parties agreed to have no further contact.
They later moved to their own apartment, but the man discovered its location by following them. The court found he had also acquired tracking devices to locate the woman and child and had gathered information about their home.
The court described the method of the murder as particularly brutal and cruel, noting the man’s use of multiple weapons repeatedly. It ruled the act demonstrated premeditation, including prior statements to the woman that he intended to kill her.
The man denied the murder charge, admitting at most to manslaughter, but confessed to assaulting the child. The district court’s ruling is not yet final.