
Peter Madsen sentenced to life for murdering journalist Kim Wall - robin_reala
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/apr/25/peter-madsen-sentenced-life-murdering-kim-wall-submarine
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cshimmin
"They called for a life sentence, which in Denmark averages around 16 years
and is very rarely handed down for the murder of a single person."

What does this mean exactly? That people usually get paroled after 16 years?
Or does it mean that the average sentence is 16 years when life is requested?

~~~
unwind
The number seems to come from Wikipedia[1]:

 _Prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment serve an average of 16 years, more
for cases considered to be particularly grave. The only example in modern
times of an individual serving significantly more than 16 years in prison is
Palle Sørensen, who served 33 years for a quadruple police murder._

So I guess it's a parole, then (which cannot happen until 12 years into the
sentence).

[1]
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Life_imprisonment_in_Denmark](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Life_imprisonment_in_Denmark)

~~~
ryanlol
>served 33 years for a quadruple police murder.

>Despite being a peaceful prisoner, he was considered the most dangerous
convict in Denmark for many years, and police unions pressured the authorities
to grant him neither parole nor pardon.

In Scandinavia cops get their own separate justice system too.

~~~
hackerman12345
If you know someone murdered 4 people, does them being on good behavior in
front of you really make you consider them peaceful?

~~~
ryanlol
Compared to the other murderers? I don't see why not.

The averages _very strongly_ suggest that he spent an unusually long time in
prison because he killed _cops_ , of course I may be missing out on some key
details here.

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donquichotte
I'd been following Madsen before the Kim Wall murder. He founded the
Copenhagen Suborbitals, a (now estranged) group of very successful rocket
amateurs, and he built several working submarines. I have always been
impressed by his zeal and his skill to use people to help build the stuff he
envisioned.

On one occasion, they used one of the submarines to drag a rocket launch
platform into the ocean. How cool is that! Using your self-built submarine to
launch your self-built rocket into the stratosphere.

That said, the case seems pretty clear from the outside. I have no idea why he
thougt he could get away with this.

~~~
Rjevski
Rather than asking how he thought he’d get away, I would ask: why the fuck
would anyone think it’s okay to kill someone? (excluding self-defense
scenarios)

~~~
danpalmer
From reading the coverage, I never got the impression that it was pre-
meditated in so much as he lured her to his submarine to kill her.

I got the impression that it was a poorly covered up accident, or possibly the
covering up of a failed sexual advance on her in the heat of the moment. I
think he panicked after it had happened, or more likely after she was injured,
and decided to cover it up by finishing her off and disposing of her body. I'm
not sure he would have thought he could get away with it.

I agree with the sentencing, but I don't think this is as simple as him being
a psycopath who wanted to kill someone. I don't think we have the full story.

~~~
tokai
The judge thought it was pre-meditated. He had extra tools on board of the
sub, that usually stayed in his workshop. He had also contacted multiple women
in the time up to the killing, asking them to go on a trip with him in the
sub. The day before he killed, maimed, and dismembered Kim, he watched a
genuine snuff film, on his computer, showing a woman getting killed.

He is up to something like three or four different explanations for an
accident, and they have all been refuted by experts. Also his psyc evaluation
concluded that he is a danger for others.

I'm sorry but I find your apologetic tone uncomfortable.

~~~
danpalmer
Ah, I seem to be very behind on the news coverage then! I didn't know about
all that.

I remember it being unclear in the first week or two whether it had been an
accident or not, followed by some sketchy details that implied it might have
been a cover up. I have not heard much since.

Thanks for the heads up, I of course don't mean to be apologetic at all for
the crime, I was surprised at what seemed to be a significant change from the
direction the case had been progressing, but this sounds like I was
misinformed.

~~~
emodendroket
The "accidental" explanations all sounded pretty implausible in the first
place. She hit her head and he claims he thought the best thing to do was cut
her up and try to hide the body.

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danpalmer
BBC has a little more detail: [http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-
europe-43894495](http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-43894495)

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samfriedman
> _They called for a life sentence, which in Denmark averages around 16 years
> and is very rarely handed down for the murder of a single person._

So he will not be imprisoned for life, as is rare (unheard of?) in
Scandinavian countries.

~~~
gnode
In Denmark, a life sentence is officially for life, without parole. However,
convicts are eligible for a pardoning hearing after twelve years. Sixteen
years is just the average served. But yes, it is rare to be imprisoned for
longer.

~~~
justaguyhere
In the U.S, there are people who serve decades for much less crimes than
murder :(

~~~
gnode
Indeed. I find it particularly horrifying when it's people from other
countries (e.g. Lauri Love), threatened with extradition and 99 years in a US
jail, effective a genuine life sentence.

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lbj
Its difficult for me to see how this is hacker related.

~~~
jbob2000
He built his own submarines, you could argue he has a bit of the hacker ethos
in him.

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mcherm
This is news, but is it "news that good hackers would find interesting"? Does
it belong on this site?

~~~
Tomte
It's about a well-known and formerly respected hacker.

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kemonocode
When you are an engineer, you can oftentimes get deluded about how "normal"
people think and worse yet, treat all situations in life to be problems to be
solved and systems to optimize. This might even include murder and thinking
one could get away with it.

~~~
mulletbum
How would he be optimizing by slitting a woman's throat and dismembering her
body? She seems.... less optimized.

~~~
nkkollaw
Depends for what. Transportation is more efficient.

~~~
mulletbum
He messed that up to, she was far more mobile when being able to walk herself
somewhere.

~~~
nkkollaw
I meant more in a suitcase but sure :-)

