Peter Langkjær Madsen (; born 12 January 1971) is a Danish convicted murderer and former entrepreneur. In April 2018, he was convicted of the August 2017 murder of Swedish journalist Kim Wall on board his submarine, '' UC3 Nautilus'', 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 ...

Biography

Madsen was born on 12 January, 1971 to Annie and Carl Madsen. He spent his early life in

Sæby Sæby () is a town and seaport located on the east coast of the historical region of Vendsyssel on the North Jutlandic Island in northern Denmark. The town is located in Frederikshavn municipality in Region Nordjylland. It has a population of 8,9 ...

and

Høng Høng is a town with a population of 4,304 (1 January 2025)Kalundborg Municipality), Denmark. Annie was more than 30 years younger than Carl and had three other sons from two previous men. Carl was allegedly abusive toward his three stepsons. Annie left when Peter was six, taking the children with her. After a couple of years, Madsen returned to his father, with whom he shared an interest in rockets. While attending primary and secondary school in Høng, Madsen developed an interest in

rocket fuel Rocket propellant is used as reaction mass ejected from a rocket engine to produce thrust. The energy required can either come from the propellants themselves, as with a chemical rocket, or from an external source, as with ion engines. Overvi ...

with the help of chemistry and physics teacher Johannes Fischer. He developed his first large rocket at Høng and launched it on 3 March 1986. It was one meter tall, modelled after the American ICBM MX Peacekeeper and built in his father's workshop. It reached a height of before crashing to the ground. In 1987, Madsen was accepted at the gymnasium (upper secondary school) in the nearby town of

Kalundborg Kalundborg () is a Danish city with a population of 16,659 (1 January 2025), He moved to live in a youth house in the town. His father died in 1990 when Peter was 19. Madsen continued to experiment and to consult engineers, and became friendly with the family responsible for the fireworks in Copenhagen's

Tivoli Gardens Tivoli Gardens, also known simply as Tivoli (), is an amusement park and pleasure garden in Copenhagen, Denmark. The park opened on 15 August 1843 and is the third-oldest operating amusement park in the world, after Dyrehavsbakken in nearby Kla ...

. He also joined the Dansk Amatør Raket Klub (DARK) rocket club in Copenhagen, but the other members gradually became disillusioned with him. DARK members claimed that "saying his name would start the fire sprinkler system". He never finished any formal education, but took courses in

welding Welding is a fabrication (metal), fabrication process that joins materials, usually metals or thermoplastics, primarily by using high temperature to melting, melt the parts together and allow them to cool, causing Fusion welding, fusion. Co ...

and engineering to learn something about submarines. His enthusiasm brought impressive results, but also caused conflicts with others. Madsen funded his lifestyle through financial support from people, organizations, and enterprises which saw promise in him.

Personal life

Madsen was married at

Copenhagen City Hall Copenhagen City Hall () is the headquarters of the Copenhagen City Council as well as the Lord mayor of the Copenhagen Municipality, Denmark. The building is situated on City Hall Square in central Copenhagen. Architecture The current building ...

in November 2011. His wife had worked in the film industry and had also helped in Madsen's workshop at Refshaleøen, Copenhagen. In February 2018, it was reported that his wife had abandoned him after he was charged with murder. Madsen said that he had lived in an "open relationship". His wife has chosen to remain anonymous and her identity has not been released by the media. According to a report from Wired magazine, Madsen was a regular at fetish parties. On 19 December 2019, Madsen married 39-year old

Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...

n-Mauritian opposition activist Jenny Curpen. Curpen has had

political asylum The right of asylum, sometimes called right of political asylum (''asylum'' ), is a juridical concept, under which people persecuted by their own rulers might be protected by another sovereignty, sovereign authority, such as a second country or ...

in Finland since 2013, because of her persecution in Russia. In a post on

Facebook Facebook is a social media and social networking service owned by the American technology conglomerate Meta Platforms, Meta. Created in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with four other Harvard College students and roommates, Eduardo Saverin, Andre ...

, Curpen said that she received death threats after her marriage was made public. According to a Facebook entry of Jenny Curpen, the couple divorced on 7 January 2022.

Projects

Submarines

Madsen built three submarines: ''

UC1 Freya ''Freya'' or UC1 ''Freya'' (in Danish: ''Freja'') was the first private Danish submarine, and thus first amateur electric sub in Denmark. It was built by Peter Madsen and Claus Nørregaard in 2001–2002, as a demonstrator to try submarine tech ...

'', ''

UC2 Kraka ''Kraka'', or UC2 ''Kraka'' was an amateur-built midget submarine completed in 2005, the first diesel–electric amateur sub in Denmark. It was built by Peter Madsen, Claus Nørregaard and several other people. The overall length was , and it dis ...

'' and '' UC3 Nautilus''. The ''Nautilus'' was a privately built

midget submarine A midget submarine is any submarine under 150 tons, typically operated by a crew of one or two but sometimes up to six or nine, with little or no on-board living accommodation. They normally work with mother ships, from which they are launched an ...

, launched on 3 May 2008 in Copenhagen, Denmark. Constructed over three years, it cost approximately

US$ The United States dollar (Currency symbol, symbol: Dollar sign, $; ISO 4217, currency code: USD) is the official currency of the United States and International use of the U.S. dollar, several other countries. The Coinage Act of 1792 introdu ...

200,000 to build (1.5 million DKK).

Copenhagen Suborbitals

On 1 May 2008, Madsen co-founded

Copenhagen Suborbitals Copenhagen Suborbitals is a crowd-funded human space program. It has flown six home-built rockets and capsules since 2011. The organization successfully launched its Nexø II rocket in the summer of 2018. Its stated goal is to have one of its me ...

with Danish Architect Kristian von Bengtson. In June 2014, he left the project. Madsen was responsible for the launch system, launchpad and booster rocket engines.

Rocket Madsen Space Lab

In June 2014, Madsen established RML Spacelab ApS. The goal was the development and construction of a crewed spacecraft. From 2016, RML was developing a nano satellite launch vehicle using venture investments. Under the title , Madsen blogged about his activities on the website of the Danish news magazine ''

Ingeniøren ''Ingeniøren'' (full name: ''Nyhedsmagasinet Ingeniøren'', literally ''The News Magazine "The Engineer"'') is a Danish weekly newspaper specialising in engineering topics. History and profile The paper has covered science and technology issues ...

''.

Murder of Kim Wall and sinking of ''UC3 Nautilus''

Murder

On 11 August 2017, Madsen was arrested after the sinking of '' UC3 Nautilus'' and the disappearance of Kim Wall, a Swedish journalist who had last been seen alive aboard the submarine. The following day, a court ruled that he be held in

pre-trial detention Pre-trial detention, also known as jail, preventive detention, provisional detention, or remand, is the process of detaining a person until their trial after they have been arrested and charged with an offence. A person who is on remand is ...

for 24 days on a charge of

negligent homicide Negligent homicide is a criminal charge brought against a person who, through criminal negligence, allows another person to die. Other times, an intentional killing may be negotiated down to this lesser charge as a compromised resolution of a mur ...

. Madsen initially claimed that he had dropped Wall off on land at the tip of Refshaleøen on the night before the sinking. He later changed his statement, saying that she had died on board in an accident, and that he had buried her at sea. According to the

Danish police The Police of Denmark (, , ) is the Denmark, Danish National Police force, and the interior part of the Danish security forces (the Danish Defence, Danish military being the exterior) in the Kingdom (The Danish Realm: Denmark (proper), Green ...

, the submarine was deliberately sunk, contradicting Madsen's explanation regarding a technical fault. A human torso washed up on the coast of

Amager Amager ( ), located in the Øresund, is Denmark's most densely populated island, with more than 216,000 inhabitants (January 2022). The protected natural area of ''Naturpark Amager'' (including Kalvebod Fælled) makes up more than one-third of the ...

on 21 August, which

DNA tests Genetic testing, also known as DNA testing, is used to identify changes in DNA sequence or chromosome structure. Genetic testing can also include measuring the results of genetic changes, such as RNA analysis as an output of gene expression, or ...

concluded belonged to Wall. Chief investigator Jens Møller reported that the torso had been stabbed multiple times to vent accumulating gases that could float it to the surface, and that a piece of metal had been fastened to it to ensure its sinking to the seabed. On 25 August, Madsen's charge was extended to improper handling of a corpse.

Trial and conviction

During a hearing on 5 September, Madsen stated that Wall had been killed when he lost his grip on the submarine's hatch cover, which he was holding open for her, and it hit her on the head, causing her skull to fracture. On 7 October 2017,

Royal Danish Navy The Royal Danish Navy (, ) is the Naval warfare, sea-based branch of the Danish Armed Forces force. The RDN is mainly responsible for maritime defence and maintaining the sovereignty of Denmark, Danish territorial waters (incl. Faroe Islands and ...

divers assisting the police found Wall's head, arms and legs, along with a knife and pieces of her clothing, in bags at the bottom of Køge Bay, weighted down by pieces of metal. A police spokesperson reported that there were no fractures to Wall's skull. A post-mortem examination of the torso found "knife wounds to her genitals and ribcage", believed to have been caused "around or shortly after her death". The prosecution said that police had found videos on Madsen's computer showing women being murdered, and that witnesses said that they had seen Madsen watching videos of decapitation and practising asphyxiation sex. On 30 October 2017, it was reported that Madsen had changed his account of Wall's death and admitted dismembering her body. It was reported that he now claimed that she had died from

carbon monoxide poisoning Carbon monoxide poisoning typically occurs from breathing in carbon monoxide (CO) at excessive levels. Symptoms are often described as " flu-like" and commonly include headache, dizziness, weakness, vomiting, chest pain, and confusion. Large ...

on board the submarine, but his legal representation denied this, saying that Madsen did not know how she died. It was later confirmed by the police that he had made no clear statement on how she had died, but had said that she was inside the submarine when it contained exhaust gases. In January 2018, Madsen was charged with

murder Murder is the unlawful killing of another human without justification (jurisprudence), justification or valid excuse (legal), excuse committed with the necessary Intention (criminal law), intention as defined by the law in a specific jurisd ...

, indecent handling of a corpse (due to dismemberment), and sexual assault (due to stabbings in genital region). The prosecution accused him of having bound, hit, cut and stabbed Wall before killing her by cutting her throat or strangling her. Madsen's trial began on 8 March 2018 with him pleading not guilty to Wall's murder. On 25 April 2018, Madsen was found guilty of all charges, and sentenced to

. A psychiatric evaluation of Madsen described him as a

narcissistic Narcissism is a self-centered personality style characterized as having an excessive preoccupation with oneself and one's own needs, often at the expense of others. Narcissism, named after the Greek mythological figure ''Narcissus'', has evolv ...

psychopath Psychopathy, or psychopathic personality, is a personality Construct (psychology), construct characterized by impaired empathy and remorse, along with boldness, bold, disinhibited, and egocentrism, egocentric traits. These traits are often ma ...

, lacking in empathy but not psychotic or delusional. Madsen immediately appealed the sentence but not the guilty verdict. On 26 September 2018, the

Østre Landsret The Østre Landsret (Eastern High Court), established in 1919, is one of Denmark's two High Courts, along with the Vestre Landsret (Western High Court). Both High Courts function as a civil and criminal appellate court for cases from the subordina ...

(High Court of Eastern Denmark) upheld the sentence.

Later events and escape

Madsen was admitted to a hospital in August 2018 after being assaulted by an 18-year-old inmate in Storstrøm Prison. Madsen was also in a relationship with a female prison guard. On 20 October 2020, Madsen escaped from prison. He was apprehended in a residential area near Herstedvester Prison. When police discovered that he was in possession of a pistol-like object and was wearing a belt that could potentially contain explosives, he was surrounded until bomb experts had determined that it was a

decoy A decoy (derived from the Dutch ''de'' ''kooi'', literally "the cage" or possibly ''eenden kooi'', " duck cage") is usually a person, device, or event which resembles what an individual or a group might be looking for, but it is only meant to ...

. On 9 February 2021, a Copenhagen court handed Madsen a 21-month prison sentence for his attempted escape from jail. The additional sentence was not added to the life sentence, but may play a role if a future probation request is made. In 2024 a short documentary was made about Peter Madsen's escape from jail.

Media

On 24 January 2020, a Danish

documentary A documentary film (often described simply as a documentary) is a nonfiction Film, motion picture intended to "document reality, primarily for instruction, education or maintaining a Recorded history, historical record". The American author and ...

, '' Into the Deep'', premiered at the

Sundance Festival The Sundance Film Festival is an annual film festival organized by the Sundance Institute. It is the largest independent film festival in the United States, with 423,234 combined in-person and online viewership in 2023. The festival has acte ...

in Utah, United States. The 90-minute documentary was directed by Australian-born Emma Sullivan and chronicles Peter Madsen and a group of volunteers helping Madsen with his projects – shot as it happens before and after the

murder of Kim Wall The murder of Kim Wall, known in Denmark as (), took place on 10 August 2017, after Swedish freelance journalist Kim Wall boarded the midget submarine '' UC3 Nautilus'', in Køge Bay, Denmark, for a pre-arranged interview of its owner, Danish ...

. '' The Investigation'' (''Efterforskningen'') is a Danish-language television dramatisation created by

Tobias Lindholm Tobias Lindholm (born 5 July 1977) is a Danish screenwriter and film director. His 2015 directed film '' A War'' was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. In addition to ''A War'', he has directed the films '' R'' (2010), ...

, which follows the criminal investigation of the case. The six-part series premiered on 28 September 2020 on TV2 and SVT. It features

Søren Malling Søren Dyrberg Malling (; born 3 February 1964) is a Danish actor. Career Raised in Kjellerup, Malling trained at Skuespillerskolen at Odense Teater in 1992. He is best known for his role as Inspector Jan Meyer in the Danish TV crime thriller ...

as chief inspector Jens Møller,

Pilou Asbæk Johan Philip "Pilou" Asbæk (; born 2 March 1982) is a Danish actor, best known for his role as troubled spin doctor Kasper Juul in the Danish television political drama '' Borgen'', and as Euron Greyjoy in the television series ''Game of Thron ...

as special prosecutor Jakob Buch-Jepsen and

Rolf Lassgård Rolf Holger Lassgård (born 29 March 1955) is a Swedish actor. He is known for his many roles in crime dramas. Life and career Lassgård was born in Östersund, Jämtland. A keen amateur ice hockey player in his youth, he also joined theatre tea ...

and

Pernilla August Pernilla August (; born 13 February 1958), also known as Pernilla Östergren Pernilla Wallgren, and Pernilla Wallgren-Östergren, is a Swedish actress, director and screenwriter. She was a longtime collaborator with director Ingmar Bergman and ...

as Wall's parents. The TV series does not feature the crime itself and does not mention Madsen's name, whose character does not appear onscreen either; it focuses on the investigative work leading to his indictment and conviction. It has been compared to the 2020 BBC series '' The Salisbury Poisonings''. The series was broadcast on UK's

BBC Two BBC Two is a British free-to-air Public service broadcasting in the United Kingdom, public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's second flagship channel, and it covers a wide range of subject matte ...

between 22 January and 5 February 2021.

HBO Home Box Office (HBO) is an American pay television service, which is the flagship property of namesake parent-subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is based a ...

began showing it on 1 February 2021.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Madsen, Peter Marine engineers 1971 births Living people 21st-century Danish criminals Danish male criminals Aerospace engineers Copenhagen Suborbitals Danish naval architects Danish people convicted of murder People convicted of murder by Denmark Prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment by Denmark Danish prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment Rocket scientists Space advocates People convicted of sexual assault People with antisocial personality disorder Civilian submariners