It’s been quite a while since we visited the story of the horrific murder of journalist Kim Wall at the hands of Danish billionaire inventor and submarine fanatic Peter Madsen. At the end of a lengthy investigation and trial, Madsen was finally found guilty of sexually assaulting, torturing and murdering Wall aboard his private submarine, where he had lured her with the promise of an interview. Madsen’s frequently changing explanations as to what had happened to his victim convinced nobody and he was sentenced to life. Unfortunately, in Denmark, a sentence of “life” generally only adds up to about sixteen years at the most.

But that was still “unfair” in the mind of Madsen and his attorneys. Now the first round of appeals has kicked off and the killer’s legal team is asking for the sentence to be reduced to six months in jail. meaning he would basically be released with time served. (Associated Press)

Danish submarine inventor Peter Madsen, who was found guilty of the torture, sexual assault, murder and dismemberment of a Swedish reporter, appeared before an appeals court Wednesday to fight against his life sentence…

Madsen, who claims Wall died accidentally inside the submarine in August 2017, wants a time-limited sentence, not an open-ended term. He has confessed to throwing her body parts into the Baltic Sea…

Clearly, [Madsen’s lawyer Betina Hald Engmark] said, Madsen did something “horrible” by cutting Wall into pieces, but he should only be sentenced for that, noting that the cause of death has never been established. Under Danish law, indecent handling of a corpse carries a maximum sentence of six months in jail.

This is truly stunning. First of all, claiming that the cause of death has never been established is only true as a technicality, having no bearing on the final determination. Kim Wall was chopped up into enough pieces to fill multiple garbage bags and dumped into the ocean with weights. She had been so badly cut up, particularly in her genital region, that authorities were unable to conclusively determine if Madsen had sexually assaulted her before her death, afterward, or both. As to who was responsible, Madsen himself admits that they were the only two people on the submarine when these events took place. The collection of snuff films found on his computer didn’t do much to inspire confidence in him either.

The idea that Peter Madsen could be released from prison after only 16 years and return to his billionaire lifestyle is offensive enough. Asking to be released with only six months behind bars should be sparking riots around the country. This vile creature has had his day in court and been found guilty of being a monster in human form stalking the land. Questions still remain as to whether or not he might have been responsible for other missing women who were found chopped up on the floor of the same stretch of ocean.

On a vaguely related subject, I would remind you yet again that Kim Wall was a journalist. With that in mind, I’m surprised that this story receives so little attention in the United States. One would imagine that her fellow journalists would be outraged, not to mention those who speak up for the rights of women who are abused by powerful men. She is turning into a forgotten footnote in a story which quickly disappeared down the memory hole in most media outlets, while Peter Madsen is still drawing oxygen and attempting to use clever legal tricks to finagle his way to freedom.