Esa Åkerlund

Esa Kalle Vihtori Åkerlund (born 5 July 1969) is a Finnish serial killer. Initially sentenced to life imprisonment for the 1995 murder of his ex-wife, he was paroled, only to commit a triple murder in 2010, for which he received 15 years. In addition to this, he was acquitted of another in 1993, of which he still remains the prime suspect.

Murders First murder and acquittal In October 1993, Åkerlund was dining at 'The Manor', a restaurant in Askola, when an argument arose and a fight subsequently broke out. During the scuffle, Åkerlund grabbed a knife and joined in. Employees tried to intervene, but were retaliated against, which resulted in the death of 28-year-old Veikko Nurmi, an off-duty security guard working for 'The Manor'. He crept into her bedroom, where he started beating her before opting to shoot her with his Smith & Wesson semi-automatic pistol. The shot was heard by the ex-wife's brother, who barged into the room and shot at Åkerlund, narrowly missing him. For an unspecified reason, a dispute occurred between the two parties, prompting Åkerlund to pull out his revolver and shoot one of the passengers in the chest, killing him on the spot. When the other two attempted to help their dying friend, Åkerlund shot them in the mouth and the head, respectively. In October 2010, Åkerlund was put on trial for the triple murder, and two years later, he was found guilty on all counts and sentenced to 15 years imprisonment. According to one article, commenters on a CNN article about the case mocked the Finnish justice system, its lacklustre gun control and some even claimed that Finland needed to bring back the death penalty.