Juhani Aataminpoika

Juhani Aataminpoika
Born July 31, 1826
Vesivehma, Finland
Died September 1854
Suomenlinna, Finland
Cause of death Natural causes
Other names "Kerpeikkari"
Criminal penalty Death; commuted to life imprisonment
Conviction(s) Murder
Details
Victims 12
Span of crimes
 October 1849–November 1849
Country Finland
Date apprehended
 November 20, 1849

Juhani Aataminpoika (born July 31, 1826 in Vesivehma - September 1854 in Suomenlinna), alias Kerpeikkari, was a Finnish serial killer. In 1849, he killed 12 people in southern Finland in October and November. He has been characterized as Finland's first serial killer.

Biography

Juhani Aataminpoika left home at the age of 15, turning towards small crimes. In October 1849, he was taken from the Hämeenlinna Prison to Hauho, where he was charged with horseback riding, escaping from the prison and starting a homicidal spree. In Lammi he killed the hostess and mistress of the Heliseva bar with a man named Kustaa Kratula. From there, he went back to his home in Heinola, where he killed his father and mother before fleeing to the forest.

After that, Aataminpoika traveled to the Saimaa Canal, killing more people on the way, slaying one man in order to get his paper certificate.

At the beginning of November, Aataminpoika had returned to Lammi, from where he left with his friend Antti Suiko to go to the hunting lodge in the village of Hattelmala. The men trashed the house, stealing their money and harming the mistress (whom died from her injuries) and another individual who managed to survive the attack.

Shortly thereafter, on November 20, Juhani Aataminpoika was caught in the Palsa near the Lammi and Padasjoki border. At the end of the trial following the recapture, the Vyborg Court of Appeal sentenced him to death. The sentence was upheld in the Senate's Department of Justice, but the Emperor made it easier for Aataminpoika to receive 40 years and a life imprisonment sentence. He was transferred in January 1853 to the Suomenlinna and was kept there as a prison clerk until his death in 1854.

Juhani Aataminpoika's folksy nickname Kerpeikkari means 'executioner'. He was famous for his own time, but his actions were forgotten for a long time and he did got gain the same fate as, for example, Matti Haapoja. In the 2000s, however, he became an interest for researchers.

Film

A film about Juhani Aataminpoika's story is planned. The script is written by Kari Hietalahti, and the film is directed by Peter Franzén. If the film is financed, it would be released in autumn 2017.[1]

Sources

  • Hämeenlinnan Kaupunkiuutisten artikkeli vuodelta 2003 (Archive.org)
  • Kaijus Ervasti (1992). The Murmansk Portrait: Matti Haapoja 1845-1895. Helsinki. ISBN 951-37-0976-0.
  • "Teemu Central Series: A Finnish serial killer" (in Finnish). Science. 2008.

References

  1. ↑ Veli-Pekka Lehtonen (1 November 2016). "A film is pending on the only Finnish serial killer" (in Finnish). Helsingin Sanomat.

Literature

  • Jarmo Haapalainen (2007). Twelve murders in five weeks, Heinola's "beast" Finnish record (in Finnish). Heinola. ISBN 978-952-99946-0-1.
  • The only serial killer in Finland. Juhani Aataminpoika's crimes and punishment (in Finnish). Teemu Middle Series. 2008. ISBN 978-951-796-538-5.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.