Man accused of freezing parents’ bodies goes on trial without lawyer

An unusual trial over two alleged violations of grave peace began on Friday at the Varsinais-Finland District Court, Yle reports. An 81-year-old man is accused of keeping his parents’ bodies in freezers for 30 years and plans to deny the charges.

The man appeared in court without legal counsel. He told media at the court that he had acted only according to his father’s wishes. He said his parents had been freeze-dried.

The man’s younger brother is also charged with violating grave peace. The charge is apparently connected to an incident in which the brothers were seen opening a family grave at a cemetery in Turku in October 2025.

The younger brother said he also plans to deny the charge and appeared in court without a lawyer.

“We do not know exactly what we are accused of,” the older brother told the media.

Police said they found two bodies during a home search in 2024. The bodies had been kept frozen for 30 years in a storage room at a detached house in Turku. They had died naturally in 1994 and 1995.