Finnish court upholds life sentence for fatal sword attack in Tampere

A Finnish appeals court has upheld a life sentence for a 29-year-old man who fatally stabbed another man over 100 times with a sword in Tampere’s Nekala district, ruling he acted with full awareness, public broadcaster Yle reports.

The Turku Court of Appeal confirmed the Pirkanmaa District Court’s murder conviction against Eetu Mikael Eemeli Venäläinen, rejecting any diminished capacity defence. A psychiatric evaluation last July found Venäläinen fully accountable for his actions.

The attack occurred in October 2024, when Venäläinen killed a 45-year-old homeless man who had been staying in his home. According to Venäläinen, the victim initially came only to charge his phone but remained in the apartment and building for several days, behaving in a threatening manner. While the court acknowledged Venäläinen may have feared the man, it determined the victim’s prior conduct did not justify the extreme violence.

Both courts classified the crime as exceptionally brutal. Venäläinen, who has been in custody since the attack, may still seek leave to appeal to the Supreme Court.