Appeals court increases sentence for man who killed woman and hid body in suitcase

A Finnish appeals court has sentenced a man to nine years and six months in prison for killing a 23-year-old woman and hiding her body in a suitcase, overturning a shorter district court sentence. The Rovaniemi Court of Appeal issued the ruling on Thursday, according to Yle.

Marko Juhani Backman had been sentenced to six years in prison by the Oulu District Court in March 2025 for aggravated assault, aggravated manslaughter, breach of grave peace, and a drug offense. The appeals court instead found him guilty of homicide, a more serious charge, and significantly increased the prison term.

Backman had admitted causing his former girlfriend’s death but argued self‑defence. He claimed the woman became unconscious after he held her in a control hold from behind. The appeals court ruled that his account was not credible, citing a forensic medical opinion that certain injuries could not have been accidental.

After the killing, Backman placed the woman’s body in a suitcase, moved it to his car, and later buried it at a turn‑off on a gravel road in Oulu. Her body was found in a wooded area on 12 October. The court said Backman acted cold‑bloodedly and decisively.