Vaasa Court of Appeal hears Laukaa double murder appeal

Vaasa Court of Appeal is hearing an appeal in the Laukaa double murder case, Yle reports. The hearing is being held in Jyväskylä.

In February 2026, the Central Finland District Court sentenced Joosu Tomio Karppinen to life imprisonment for two murders and two violations of the sanctity of the dead.

A mental health assessment found that Karppinen had a psychotic disorder caused by substance use at the time of the crimes. He was nevertheless considered legally responsible for his actions.

Karppinen is asking the Court of Appeal to convict him of two manslaughters committed with diminished responsibility instead of murder.

Karppinen, who was born in 1992, killed his father and his father’s partner in their apartment in Lievestuore in April 2025. He stabbed both victims several times.

After the killings, he dismembered the bodies and hid them in an underground storage cellar. The investigation began after police were told that no one had been able to contact the couple. The bodies remained in the cellar for nearly a week before police found them.