Court orders mental examination for woman accused of killing partner

Yle reports that the Ostrobothnia District Court has ordered a mental examination of a 26-year-old woman accused of killing her partner in Vaasa in November 2025. The court also ordered that she remain in custody until it delivers its final judgment. The interim ruling cannot be appealed.

The 37-year-old man was found dead in his home in the Palosaari district of Vaasa by a close relative. Prosecutors allege that the woman strangled her then-boyfriend.

Prosecutors have sought a 10-year prison sentence for manslaughter. The alternative charges are aggravated assault and aggravated negligent homicide. The woman denies the charges of manslaughter, aggravated assault and aggravated negligent homicide, but has admitted to assault.

According to prosecutors, jealousy was behind the incident, which followed an argument over a dating app found on the man’s phone. They allege that the woman sat on him after he fell in the hallway and strangled him for at least five minutes, until he lost consciousness.

Prosecutors say she did not call for help. She allegedly tried to wake the man, dragged him to the bathroom, cleaned the apartment and left for Tampere at about 2.30am. Police later found property missing from the man at her home in Tampere. His car was found nearby, and prosecutors say she also had his phone.

The couple met in 2024. The defence described their relationship as turbulent and said both had previous convictions for assaults against each other. The woman was remanded in custody on suspicion of manslaughter in May.