Finland’s first openly gay ice hockey player found ‘murdered’ at home

Finland’s first openly gay ice hockey player has been found dead at his home following a suspected shooting.

Janne Puhakka, 29, was found at the home he shared with his partner, Rolf Nordmo, 65, in Espoo, Finland, on Sunday evening.

A 65-year-old man who was known to Puhakka and came out of the home has been arrested but police declined to confirm the identities of the suspect and victim.

Lead investigator Matti Högman, told the STT news agency that officers suspected a deliberate killing.

He said: ‘The suspect and victim knew each other. That much I can say.’

He also told broadcaster Yle that police ‘have reason to suspect that the act was carried out with premeditation’.

People have paid tribute to Puhakka including former Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin.

She shared a photo of the former ice hockey player with a broken love heart emoji.

Police of Finland said in a statement: ‘The crime is currently being investigated by the Western Uusimaa Police as a homicide.

‘The victim and the suspect are both adult males.

‘The police received a call via the emergency centre to an apartment in Henttaa, Espoo on Sunday evening, October 13th, at around 8pm.

‘According to the call, a suspected violent crime had taken place in the apartment.

‘Several patrols from the Western Uusimaa and Helsinki police departments were dispatched to the scene.

‘After arriving at the scene, the police apprehended a man at the apartment.

‘The suspect is aged about 65, and he is suspected of having committed the homicide with a firearm.

‘The arrest went as the police had planned, and the suspect came out of the apartment by himself.

‘The victim in this case is a man of about 30 years of age.

‘The incident did not pose a danger to bystanders and, based on the information we have now, there are no other persons involved.

‘The investigation is currently under the heading of manslaughter, and the charge may be clarified as the investigation progresses.

‘The police carried out a technical investigation at the scene and the next step in the investigation will be to interrogate the suspect.

‘The police are investigating the motive for the act.

‘The police will provide further information once the investigation has progressed.’

A spokesperson for Galop, the UK’s LGBT+ anti-abuse charity, told Metro: ‘Our thoughts are with Janne Puhakka’s loved ones, following his murder on Sunday evening.

‘While the investigation is ongoing, and the motives have not yet been confirmed, we know this news will have impacted the whole LGBT+ community, particularly those who have experienced violence and abuse in their home.

‘For anyone in our community who is affected by this case, Galop’s National LGBT+ Abuse and Violence Helpline is open on 0800 999 5428, help@galop.org.uk or on webchat at galop.org.uk.’

Puhakka ended his career in the 2017-2018 season after playing for Espoo Blues and Espoo United.

He came out as gay in 2019 and was the first Finnish ice hockey player to speak about his sexuality and discussed having to hide his it from teammates because of the homophobia in the sport.

He was well known in Finland and appeared on the country’s version of The Traitors.

TV network Nelonen Media confirmed it would not air the final show on October 17 due to his death.

Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.

For more stories like this, check our news page.