Seinäjoki killing suspect linked to Kai-Pekka Savolainen murder
A 35-year-old serial offender is suspected of murder and attempted murder in Seinäjoki, and according to Iltalehti, of a 2020 murder.
Seinäjoki killing suspect: lengthy criminal history and connection to murder investigated for years
According to Iltalehti, a 35-year-old man from Seinäjoki is suspected not only of last Sunday's murder and attempted murder, but also of the murder of Kai-Pekka Savolainen, which police have been investigating for years.
The 40-year-old Savolainen died as a result of a homicide in November 2020. His body was found over six months later in a basement crawl space of an apartment building located less than a kilometre from the location of Sunday's homicide. According to Iltalehti, the preliminary investigation into the Savolainen case is in its final stages.
The 35-year-old man has previously been suspected of Savolainen's murder, and police have requested his detention. The district court, however, did not grant the detention request.
Sunday homicide in Kasper
Police received an emergency call related to a stabbing in the Kasper district of Seinäjoki on Sunday at 18:30. A seriously injured man was found in the grounds of the building, and a lifeless man was found inside a private flat, who was confirmed dead. The suspect was arrested at the scene.
According to Iltalehti, the victims of the murder and attempted murder are not connected to the Kai-Pekka Savolainen case.
Lengthy criminal history
The man has over the years been convicted of numerous crimes and sentenced to unconditional imprisonment. He has, among other things, threatened a Lidl shop assistant with a bladed weapon and robbed a man from Seinäjoki by stabbing him in the shoulder.
On Monday, 25 May, the man participated remotely in a hearing at the Vaasa Court of Appeal while in detention. The Court of Appeal was hearing charges of aggravated assault and property damage — crimes for which the South Ostrobothnia District Court sentenced him to one and a half years' unconditional imprisonment last November.
The man was allowed to await his final sentence whilst free. During that time, he is suspected of committing murder and attempted murder in October 2024 at the same Kasper property where Sunday's homicide also occurred. The man kicked in the outer door of the B stairwell and attacked an innocent bystander cleaning his car in the yard with a knife, cutting him on the neck. The district court found that the act was close to attempted murder: "Only the injured party's evasive movement prevented more serious injury."
In previous years, the man was also charged with murder. However, the South Ostrobothnia District Court convicted him of aggravated assault — his brother was convicted of the murder.
Attempts have been made to recover approximately 80,000 euros from the man through enforcement proceedings without success. He has been found to have no assets and has concealed his address details.
Iltalehti reached the man's legal representative early in the week, but he was unwilling to comment on the criminal suspicions at that time.
Source: Iltalehti