Seinäjoki basement murder trial ends, older suspect released
Tuesday 6th October 2026 on 11:45 in
Finland
One of two men accused of murdering a man in Seinäjoki has been released to await the verdict after the three-day trial ended, Yle reported. The South Ostrobothnia District Court is due to deliver its ruling on 23 October.
Prosecutors are seeking life sentences for the 35-year-old and 55-year-old defendants over the killing of a man in his 40s who disappeared in Seinäjoki six years ago and was later found murdered. Both men deny taking part in the killing. The younger defendant admits participating in the dismemberment of the body.
On the final day of the trial, a forensic chemist testified that several fibres found on the victim matched fibres from the older defendant’s clothing. The chemist said the number and type of fibres were significant. They had transferred from two separate items of clothing, making an accidental transfer less likely.
A woman also testified remotely that the older defendant had told her he killed the victim. She believed him and secretly recorded part of their conversation because she felt she needed to capture what he was saying.
Witnesses had difficulty recalling events from the time, nearly six years ago. Alcohol intoxication was also mentioned during the proceedings. One witness failed to appear on the scheduled day; police collected him from another locality and brought him to court the following day.
Prosecutor Esa Rintala argued that the defendants acted together with a deliberate intent to kill, and that the violence was brutal and cruel enough to constitute murder. He said the older man’s alleged confession, other evidence and witness statements pointed to his involvement. The prosecutor also argued that the younger man must have had his own reason for helping dismember and dispose of the body, rather than doing so merely at a friend’s request.
Both defendants maintained their denials in closing arguments. The younger man’s defence lawyer said significant doubt remained about whether his client had any role in the death, and said he regretted his involvement in the dismemberment. The older man’s lawyer said he had not used violence against the victim and challenged the reliability of witness accounts and the police’s reconstruction of events.