Turku Court of Appeal Upholds Life Sentence in Nekala Sword Murder

The Turku Court of Appeal on Friday upheld the life sentence for 29-year-old Eetu Mikael Eemeli Venäläinen, who was convicted of killing an older, previously unknown man in his Nekala apartment in October 2024, Aamulehti reported.

Court records show the victim first came to Venäläinen’s home to charge his phone on October 10 and then stayed on without leaving. Venäläinen told investigators he had feared the visitor after episodes of aggressive behaviour, including threats with a knife and an earlier assault with a hammer that prompted him to call the police shortly before the killing. Venäläinen returned home alone on October 13 and seized a decorative sword. He struck the man roughly one hundred times, continuing until the blade bent and became unusable. Police later recovered the twisted sword from the apartment bathroom; the blade measured about 50 centimetres.

The appeals court called the attack particularly cruel and brutal, noting blows to the victim’s back that left him defenseless. A psychiatric assessment, carried out between the district court hearing and the appeal, concluded Venäläinen was criminally responsible at the time of the offence. He may still seek leave to appeal to the Supreme Court. The defendant had reportedly re-entered his flat through a window because he had no keys, while the older man had been staying overnight there.