A young man who bragged about being a killer and claimed to have disposed of a body in a river was later found to be innocent and was wrongfully imprisoned.
Published: 29/07/25 | 18:32
The man who posed with a gun and boasted about killing someone over drug-related debts was not initially taken seriously. However, his intoxicated messages led to his arrest in May on suspicion of murder even though in reality no one had been killed.
The murder investigation began after police received a tip in May regarding messages sent by the 23-year-old.
Iltalehti was the first to report on the man’s arrest and release on May 6. At that time the basis of the police’s suspicion was not clear. Later Yle obtained court documents outlining the main events in the case.
According to authorities the man told several individuals he had shot someone due to drug debts and claimed he had dumped the body in a river.
When police reviewed the man’s messages they found he had spoken of shooting someone going to a “castle gig,” and taking a drive all while in what was described as a “heated moment.” In a video uncovered by police the man was seen holding a gun.
The video was accompanied by a message saying: “Today someone will die.”
Police initially estimated that the alleged murder might have taken place between February and April 2025.
Although the man denied killing anyone during interrogation the police believed that the threshold of reasonable suspicion had been crossed leading them to request his detention for suspected murder.
During the custody hearing on May 3 the man opposed his detention. His attorney argued that the statements were nothing more than a drunken attempt to seem intimidating.
The lawyer also highlighted that no matching body had been discovered, and no one had been reported missing.
The defense emphasized that homicides over drug debts are uncommon and that a case with no trace of a victim is even more improbable.
Nonetheless, the court approved the man’s arrest based on suspicion of murder allowing the police a week to gather additional evidence.
However, that same day investigators concluded that no murder had taken place and the man was released. The details of the preliminary investigation remain classified as the man is still being investigated for a suspected firearms offense.
According to the Helsinki Police the murder inquiry has been closed. The firearms-related aspect of the case has now been handed over to prosecutors.
