Sastamala town centre killing reclassified as murder after especially brutal attack
Police say a killing in Sastamala town centre on 1 August has been reclassified as murder after investigators described the method as especially brutal; one suspect remains in custody while another has been released.
The suspected homicide occurred on Saturday 1 August in a private apartment in Sastamala town centre, YLE reports.
Originally treated as manslaughter, the case was reclassified after Detective Chief Inspector Jari Luoto of the Central Finland Police determined the method used was especially brutal and cruel and therefore meets the legal definition of murder.
On 5 August the Pirkanmaa district court remanded two men in custody. One has since been released. Luoto would not confirm which detainee remains held.
The suspects are aged 40 and 49. The 40-year-old has prior drug-related convictions; the 49-year-old has previous convictions for serious violence and repeated aggravated drunk driving.
Prosecutors must file charges by 8 October. If convicted as an adult, a murder conviction can carry a life sentence, and the offence must also be judged aggravated overall.
Authorities say this is the second alleged homicide in the Sastamala area in a short period. A separate case from 16 September is being investigated as manslaughter, with a man and a woman remanded on probable grounds.
Earlier coverage
Catch the full story over at YLE
