Submarine owner Peter Madsen admits dismembering journalist Kim Wall
Peter Madsen changes his story after initially claiming that Kim Wall died when a heavy submarine hatch door fell on her head.
Monday 30 October 2017 14:04, UK
A Danish submarine owner has admitted dismembering the body of journalist Kim Wall, but he denies killing her.
Peter Madsen, who has been charged with homicide and mutilating a body, has told police Ms Wall died from carbon monoxide poisoning inside the submarine while he was on the deck of the vessel.
He initially told police Ms Wall died when a 70kg (154lbs) hatch door fell on her head and that he panicked and threw her body overboard.
But after , police said an autopsy showed "no sign of fracture on the skull and there isn't any sign of other blunt violence to the skull" - contradicting Madsen's version.
Ms Wall was last seen as she sailed with the inventor in his homemade submarine in waters off Copenhagen.
Her headless torso was found in Koge Bay, south of the Danish capital, 11 days after she disappeared on 10 August.
The Swedish writer's head and legs were found in plastic bags on 6 October and a saw was sent for testing after it was recovered - also from Koge Bay - a few days later.
Locating Ms Wall's head had been crucial to investigators, as the final autopsy on the torso had been unable to establish the cause of death.
However, it did show multiple mutilation wounds to Wall's genitals.
Prosecutors believe Madsen, 46, killed her as part of a sexual fantasy, then dismembered and mutilated her body.
Investigators found a hard disk in Madsen's workshop that contained fetish films in which women were tortured, decapitated and burned.
Madsen had refused to cooperate with investigators since the head and legs were found, according to prosecutors.