Appeal court reopens Minna Suominen killing case

Yle reports that a Finnish appeal court is again examining who killed Minna Suominen, who disappeared in Turku in 2012 and whose body has never been found.

The Turku Court of Appeal is hearing the case after a district court sentenced a 35-year-old woman to 10 years in prison for manslaughter in March. She denies the charges and is asking the appeal court to dismiss them or reduce her sentence.

The woman’s defence has argued that Suominen’s late boyfriend committed the homicide. The district court found that Suominen was dismembered after her death and that the defendant disposed of her remains with another person whose identity is unknown. The court said the crime had particularly reprehensible features and increased the sentence from the nine years sought by prosecutors.

Suominen disappeared in Turku in 2012. The police investigation made little progress for years before being reactivated in 2023. The appeal court has set aside four hearing days and one reserve day, with the final session expected around mid-November.