Who was Kim Wall? Here's what we know about the Swedish journalist murdered in a submarine.
Swedish journalist Kim Wall was only 30 years old when she was brutally murdered while submerged beneath the ocean in a submarine. She was interviewing Peter Madsen, an eccentric Danish inventor who had engineered his own private vessel, when she was killed.
"The Investigation," which premiered this month on HBO, is a six-part drama based on the horrifying murder and the investigation that followed. Below is what we know about the true story of Wall's killing.
Who Was Kim Wall?
Kim Wall was a vivacious, adventure-seeking, storyteller who traveled constantly for work. Originally from Sweden, her work as an independent journalist straddled continents, from reporting on post-war Sri Lanka to Cuba's underground tech-scene and even working as a fellow in Uganda.
Wall was fearless in her pursuits.
This is why, when Wall in early 2017 requested to interview with engineer Peter Madsen and he invited her to board his homemade submarine, it was nothing out of the ordinary. Madsen has been constructing private submarines, the first in Danish history, and Wall was interested in writing about his third vessel, the UC3 Nautilus mini-submarine.
Finally, in August of that year, Wall had secured an interview with the self-described "inventrepeneur," Agence France-Presse reported.
He would later be described by prosecutors as a "dark inventor turned murderer."
The Day Kim Wall Disappeared
Wall and her boyfriend, Ole Stobbe, were setting their sights on Beijing. The same day she boarded Madsen's submarine, the pair were planning to host a farewell party before their big trip, according to Decider.
She boarded Madsen's submarine on Aug. 10 off the coast of Copenhagen and was never seen again.
Stobbe, a Danish designer, reported her missing that night, the New York Post reported.
Eleven days later, part of her body was discovered. In the months to follow, more pieces would wash ashore, according to a GoFundMe created by her family in allyship with the International Women's Media Foundation.
The Investigation Into Kim Wall's Death
After Wall disappeared, never returning to land, Madsen claimed that the journalist had left the boat sometime in the middle of the night. As the investigation unraveled, the 47-year-old engineer later claimed her death was only an accident after alleging she hit her head against the hatch of the vessel.
Later that month, a cyclist found her torso on a beach. Then, in October, divers found pieces of body in garbage bags, attached to metal objects, according to reports. In late November, her arms were found by the bay.
Even after police found her dismembered body, Madsen claimed she died from toxic fumes while aboard his 60-foot vessel, the New York Post reported.
It was discovered that Madsen had slept with Wall's dead body for two hours as he contemplated suicide and, eventually, what his next steps would be.
The Nautilus was found about 30 miles south of Copenhagen. Madsen, still aboard his vessel, was rescued, and shortly afterward the submarine sank.
Wall's autopsy result revealed that she had no blunt trauma on her skull, ruling out the possibility of hitting her head on the hatch. She was found bound and stabbed 14 times near her genitals, and her lungs showed signs of mechanical asphyxia, revealing she was either strangled or cut.
The Arrest and Conviction of Peter Madsen
Madsen, now 49, was found guilty and sentenced to life in prison in April 2018 for the gruesome murder of Wall, the Agence France-Pressed reported.
There are only 25 inmates reportedly serving life terms, which is the country's harshest sentence, according to the outlet.
In the series "The Secret Recordings with Peter Madsen," he admitted to killing Wall.
“There is only one who is guilty, and that is me,” he said in the film.
The Danish inventor, born in 1971, took after his father and developed a fascination for wars and rockets, according to BBC.
Friends described him as someone who "did not enjoy being contradicted" and was "uncompromising," the outlet reported.
Madsen most recently escaped prison in October and was captured by authorities a half-a-mile away from the prison, Inside Edition Digital previously reported.
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