15-year-old convicted of murder in Iitti – 10-year prison sentence
Päijät-Häme District Court has convicted a boy who was 15 at the time of the offence of murder and sentenced him to 10 years in prison. The victim, a 52-year-old man, was found dead in his flat in Iitti.
District court: 15-year-old guilty of murder in Iitti, sentenced to 10 years imprisonment
Päijät-Häme District Court has sentenced a boy who was 15 at the time of the offence to 10 years' imprisonment for murder as a juvenile, according to Yle News. The victim, a 52-year-old man from Iitti, was found dead in his flat in Kausala.
The district court also ordered the boy to pay compensation totalling approximately 18,500 euros, of which 5,500 euros is in damages to the victim's spouse. The verdict is not yet final.
Events from the bar to the victim's flat
The boy and the victim met for the first time just a few hours before the homicide at a local bar. The boy had gained entry to the bar using a false identity document. According to surveillance camera footage, the pair spent time drinking and smoking, and discussed matters including politics.
The boy complained to the bar owner about the man's behaviour, subsequently behaved aggressively, and threatened the bar owner with theft of his bank card. The bar owner asked the boy to leave. Eventually, the man and the boy left the bar together to the man's flat.
Violence at the victim's flat
According to the account given by the boy during the preliminary investigation, events escalated rapidly at the flat. He stated that the man made advances towards him and told investigators that "it went dark in his head". The boy also expressed that he did not like homosexuals.
The convicted person told the court that he first hit the man with a glass, after which he knocked the man to the ground and strangled him with a shoelace. According to the interim judgment, the boy continued the violence using, among other things, a fork and scissors. The victim was found to have at least 16 stab wounds.
The district court determined that the defendant killed the victim in an exceptionally brutal and cruel manner, and that the act was serious when considered as a whole.
Self-defence claim rejected – mental capacity confirmed
The convicted person admitted to causing death through excessive self-defence, but the district court found on the basis of evidence that there was no question of self-defence or its excess. According to the court, the defendant acted intentionally in the manner largely described in the charges.
At the prosecutor's request, the boy was referred for a mental state examination. The outcome of the examination confirmed that the convicted person was mentally capable at the time of the offence.
The boy remained at the victim's flat for approximately 30–45 minutes. Before leaving, he placed the instruments used in the crime in the kitchen sink and washed his hands and feet. The victim's spouse found the man dead and called the emergency services.
Police located the suspect in Lahti
Häme police initially investigated the case as manslaughter, but the classification was changed to murder shortly afterwards. The boy was not found immediately – he was traced to premises in Lahti that his mother had rented. At the time of his arrest, drugs were found on the premises. The boy's mother also has a criminal record.
The case was heard in Päijät-Häme District Court in closed session. Yle News reported earlier in the week that the same boy is now also suspected of aggravated assault in Helsinki in late August. The boy has been remanded in custody on probable cause since late August. Homicides committed by minors are rare in Finland.
Source: Yle Uutiset