Man sentenced to over 10 years for stabbing wife to death in Kotka

A district court in Kymenlaakso has sentenced a 62-year-old Kotka man to 10 years and six months in prison for stabbing his wife to death in their home in May 2025, Yle reports.

The court found that the man, identified as Kimmo Petteri Efraim Järvisalo, used a kitchen knife to stab his heavily intoxicated wife in the chest while she lay in bed. She was unable to defend herself and later died despite resuscitation attempts.

After the attack, Järvisalo stabbed himself and went to a neighbor, who called for help. Authorities arrived to find the woman in bed.

A psychiatric evaluation concluded he was criminally responsible at the time of the killing. Järvisalo claimed to have no memory of the events, though medical records noted he recalled them clearly. He had stopped taking his mood-stabilizing medication weeks earlier.

The court dismissed the defense’s suggestion that the victim, while intoxicated, may have been suicidal. Evidence showed Järvisalo had previously been violent toward his wife, with police records documenting multiple incidents between 2023 and 2025. Relatives also testified to his aggressive behavior.

Järvisalo has been in custody since the crime. The court ordered him to pay approximately €4,100 in state compensation, €8,700 to the victim’s sister, €15,700 to her father, and €18,800 to her son for suffering, funeral, and legal costs.

The verdict can be appealed to the Eastern Finland Court of Appeals.