Peter Madsen, the submarine inventor who has previously denied murdering and mutilating the body of journalist Kim Wall while she was on his submarine in August, admitted to authorities that he did dismember her body but continues to deny that he killed her.
The New York Times reports that on Saturday Madsen confessed to police in Copenhagen that he threw Wall’s body parts into the Koge Bay, but said that she had died on August 10 from carbon monoxide poisoning. When first questioned Madsen claimed that Wall had left the ship safely and alive, then later said that she had suffered a fatal head injury while aboard the ship, an account debunked once her head was found and there were no signs of trauma. Her cause of death is still unknown.
Investigators told reporters on Monday that forensic evidence did not support Madsen’s story about carbon monoxide poisoning though they are seeking a more expert evaluation. His trial is set to begin in March and he has already been charged with manslaughter, the equivalent to murder in Danish law, and police are including charges for “sexual assault without intercourse” given the mutilations to Wall’s body.
Since her death, former co-workers and friends have relayed stories about Wall’s excellent work and courage as a journalist. Her family and friends have since started a memorial fund to support the work of “a female reporter to cover subculture, broadly defined, and what Kim liked to call ‘the undercurrents of rebellion.’”
