Ismo Kullervo Junni (27 June 1943 – 3 November 1995) was a
Finnish serial killer
A serial killer (also called a serial murderer) is a person who murders three or more people,An offender can be anyone:
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* (This source only requires two people) with the killings taking place over a significant period of time in separat ...
and
arsonist
Arson is the act of willfully and deliberately setting fire to or charring property. Although the act of arson typically involves buildings, the term can also refer to the intentional burning of other things, such as motor vehicles, waterc ...
, who carried out several of his killings and arson in the Kivinokka summer camp area in
Herttoniemi,
Helsinki
Helsinki () is the Capital city, capital and most populous List of cities and towns in Finland, city in Finland. It is on the shore of the Gulf of Finland and is the seat of southern Finland's Uusimaa region. About people live in the municipali ...
.
[Rikostarinoita Suomesta - Hammasmurhaaja]
The defining characteristic of Junni's killings was that he removed his victim's teeth. For example, while killing his wife, he pulled out her teeth and later stole his friend's dental prosthesis, which he kept.
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Murders
Junni committed his first homicide in August 1980, when he killed his wife in Kontula. He was questioned on the matter, but there was insufficient evidence against him, and the case was recorded as an accident.[
]
Arrest
In 1990 Junni's now grown-up son revealed to the police that the death of his mother had not indeed been an accident. In fact, he had been preparing to leave for school on the morning when he saw his father stomping on his mother's head and dragging her unconscious body into the bathtub. Junni was taken in for interrogation, where he first confessed to his wife's murder. However, police later found out that a man named Matti Haapanen, who they needed for interrogation regarding the killing, had actually burned up with his small summer cottage in Kivinokka a few years earlier. The investigators grew suspicious after Matti's wife told them that after her husband's death, Junni had started to tell odd stories about how he had actually been at the scene of the fire that day.
After being questioned about the case, Junni slowly cracked and described in every detail how he and Matti had gotten drunk at Matti's cottage that night. This resulted in a brawl between the two men. Junni then bashed his friend over the head with a huge glass bowl, stole his dental prosthesis, and yanked out one of his own teeth before setting the house in flames. When the investigation went on, a number of deaths by house fire in the area were discovered. Junni confessed in detail to all his killings over the years and was able to be connected to the events.[
In the Municipal Court in Helsinki, Junni recanted his confession and claimed that he was trying to please his examiners. However, he was found guilty of the murder of his wife, Seppo Mäntyniemi, Juha Väre, Matti Haapanen and Pauli Sironen, as well as arson, and sentenced to ]life imprisonment
Life imprisonment is any sentence (law), sentence of imprisonment under which the convicted individual is to remain incarcerated for the rest of their natural life (or until pardoned or commuted to a fixed term). Crimes that result in life impr ...
in February 1992.[
The Helsinki ]Appellate Court
An appellate court, commonly called a court of appeal(s), appeal court, court of second instance or second instance court, is any court of law that is empowered to hear a case upon appeal from a trial court or other lower tribunal. Appel ...
changed his wife's death from assault
In the terminology of law, an assault is the act of causing physical harm or consent, unwanted physical contact to another person, or, in some legal definitions, the threat or attempt to do so. It is both a crime and a tort and, therefore, may ...
to negligent homicide; however, the penal sanction did not change. Junni killed himself in 1995.[
]
See also
*List of serial killers by country
This is a list of notable serial killers, by the country where most of the killings occurred.
Convicted serial killers by country Afghanistan
* Abul Djabar: killed 65 men and boys by strangling them with turbans while raping them; suspected o ...
References
Sources
* Pohjolan poliisi kertoo 1993 (Hammasmurhaaja)
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External links
Criminal Investigations from Finland: Hammast Weapon
Living Archive Broadcasting
{{DEFAULTSORT:Junni, Ismo
1943 births
1995 suicides
1995 deaths
Arsonists
Finnish prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment
Finnish serial killers
Human trophy collecting
Serial killers who died by suicide in prison custody
Suicides in Finland
Uxoricides