FINNISH MURDERS: The Tulilahti Double Murders (PART 2)

 The Tulilahti double murders was another case that horrified Finns in the summer of 1959. The country was just healing from the murder of Kyllikki Saari, and the way that Riitta Pakkanen and Eine Nyyssönen were killed was very reminiscent of that terrible murder. 

In Part 1, we had an in-depth look at the girls' backgrounds, and the gruesome details of their death. Also, we had a brief look at the police investigation. This time, the Finnish National Bureau of Investigations was not playing around, considering that the Saari murderer was still at large.

PUBLIC OUTCRY

Once news of the case spread, people flooded the campsite where the bodies were found. There were massive crowds, and people were incredibly angry. They were threatening violence once the perpetrator was caught.

Police started working straight away on the case and there was enormous pressure on them to produce results. Arrests were done almost immediately. Five local men were arrested. These arrests felt rushed and akin to scrambling for straws.

Riitta's watch found by searchers in the woods

The men arrested were Reino Eemeli, Lauri Albin and Martti Taavetti Lyytikäinen, three brothers who lived in the family home with their mother, Nanni. The killer took the shovel that was close to their sauna. The location was one meter away from the scene of the crime. The other two were Teuvo, a local carpenter and Ferdinand, a gravedigger, and the owner of the pasture where the bodies were discovered. The police took blood samples and the clothes from all these persons of interest.

After a thorough interrogation and search of his house, Ferdinand was let go. Lauri and Teuvo gave each other alibis. They were both meeting at Teuvo's home, that he shared with his mother. She corroborated the alibis and police released them soon after. Martin did not have a solid alibi, but he said that he went to sleep that night, and his mother could confirm that.

The two boys that were hanging out with Eine and Riitta were arrested under suspicion as well. Keijo and Heikki also gave samples of their clothes and blood. However, they had solid alibis and were also released. Lauri's nephew testified that he met them on the Tulilahti road. He said that the two men seemed like they were leaving.

What fascinated police was that, on Teuvo's jacket lining, they found signs of human blood. It looked like he tried to wash it out. There were traces of blood on the back, shoulders, armpit, near the turn of the collar on the right side, and at the top of the breast pocket on the left-hand side. Further investigation found that it was blood type O, that matched Teuvo. He testified to police that he did not know how the blood got there, but guessed that it came from two accidents he had previously with his hand. One time he smashed a bottle of alcohol on a fishing trip, and the other time he injured his hand on a nail while doing some home renovations. He was released from police custody after four days.

MAN ON A MOPED

Heikki and Keijo mentioned the stranger on the moped to the police. They described how they noticed this man hanging at the campsite during their visit with the two young women. The two men described the moped as a Solifer brand, light blue in colour, and the man had a brown briefcase on the luggage rack.

The blue moped seen at the crime scene

Another story that laid weight to the "moped man" being a guilty was the testimony of three young women who were camping on the highway between Polvijärvi and Juuka on 27th July 1953. This was at the same time that the moped man was seen in the area. The three were resting in their tent, when the attacker tried to sneak in through the open door. They managed to deter him by closing the zipper. The girls began crying for help, which made the intruder flee. This story was reported in the newspaper Satakunta Kansa at the time. 

During the same interrogation, Keijo admitted that he tried to make a few passes at both Eine and Riitta. He tried to get a kiss or a hug from them, but all his advances were rejected. The girls were not interested in any fooling around.

Police released a description of the man on the moped and begged people to tip them if they knew anything about him. He was described as "30 to 40 years of age, medium sized, with dark features."

One such person was identified soon after, and he became the numero uno suspect in this case. Mr Runar Holmström was 36-years-old, the son of an economist, and was already arrested in November, 1959 for numerous aggravated thefts in the Vaasa area.

RUNAR HOLMSTRÖM

Holmström was a compelling case from the very beginning. Once police searched his home, they found a Mora knife that matched the cuts that were made on the tree branch that was left on the grave. This type of knife is a very popular working man's tool in Finland. They also found a gun that was loaded and with the safety off. Upon visiting the crime scene, police observed that he started to act nervously.

In the interrogation, he admitted that he was the man driving the moped that night, peeping at the two young women. However, Holmström swore that he continued his journey to Varkaus at midnight. He also confirmed that he saw Heikki and Keijo try to kiss and hug the girls. This piece of information was something that police did not released to the public, and they were convinced that this was the kind of information that only someone guilty would know. 

Runar Holmström's trial

Later, Holmström tried to withdraw his statement, but this made him look even more suspicious. It was too late, and in police's mind, he was guilty. The evidence against him was only circumstantial, but his behavior's and confession solidified the theory that police had.

Despite all this, there was a lot of evidence that Holmström was telling the truth and he was innocent. Some interesting points are that he was left-handed, and experts ruled that the murderer was right-handed judging by how the tree branch was cut. Another thing was that Holmström was not very tall, at only 164 centimeters in height. It would have been exceedingly difficult for him to overpower the women, and then dispose of their bodies in such a short space of time. Both the girls were around 162 centimeters at the time, so they were a similar height to Holmström.

Other peculiar things were that it was clear from the murder that the killer must have been a local who knew the campsite very well. Police did a timed run to bury the victims and hide the belongings of the girls. They managed to do it in the right amount of time. This was possible because they had prior knowledge of the locations. Holmström was hailing from the region of Ostrobothnia, which was about 430 kilometers from Heinävesi.

The questions that arose in the trial to contest if he was the true suspect where things like: 

• How did Holmström know to bury the bike in the deepest part of the lake? 
• Or, how did he know to take the shovel from the home that was 200 meters from the gravesite? 
• Why did the home's guard dog did not bark when he normally was very loud around strangers?

Even the prosecutor, Viljo Laaksonen, and the judge on the case were later exposed that they thought Holmström was innocent. But, at the same time, he was seen at the crime scene at the time of the murder and there were no other decent suspects to name.

The girls' hats and underwear were found later in Varkaus

In 1961, a clear sign came that Holmström was innocent. In the spring of that year, the victims' underwear and hats were found near Varkaus. The location was along the road between Varkaus and Heinävesi. They were in exceptionally good condition, which police surmised that meant the items have been placed there recently. If the belongings were buried over winter, they would have had damaged and colour fading. By this point, Holmström had been behind bars for one and a half years.

A SPECTACLE OF A TRIAL

On the 8th of June 1960, the trial of Runar Holmström finally went underway. It was held in the hall of Hasumäki National School in Heinävesi. As expected, it was a public spectacle. The date coincided with the recent murder at Lake Bodom in Espoo, Uusimaa on 5th June 1960. This lasted for a full year, culminating with the death of Holmström by hanging, with a noose made from a sheet and hanging it on the prison window bars, on 8th May 1961. This was his third attempt at suicide.

The first two times were unsuccessful. The first time he tried to kill himself with barbiturates, and leaving a note that stated, "I am innocent.". The next time, his brother tried to sneak a bible filled with codeine. But the codeine was found before it reached Holmström.

The charges against Holmström were dropped due to lack of evidence but he was required to go to a psychiatric unit to have a medical evaluation. While this happened, he had to wait in prison, and unfortunately this is where he died. 

HANS ASSMAN

Assman is known from the previous case of Kyllikki Saari. He was a German immigrant to Finland after the Second World War. Rumors float about him having been a KGB spy, and one of the most prolific Finnish serial killers.

Hans Assman

He was tied to the Tulilahti case because his wife testified that he was present in the region, with his driver, at the time of the murders. Witnesses also describe two German men being present at a kiosk in Punkaharju, seen purchasing a map for the Tulilahti campsite. They were travelling in a Volkswagen car.

However, police did not investigate him further. 

CONCLUSION

After failing to catch the killer in the Saari case, police were scrambling for a perpetrator in this murder case far too quickly. There have been many critiques over the years as to how this case was managed. And I must agree that the police did not do a particularly decent job in turning every stone and looking at suitable suspects.

Holmström was a convenient scapegoat. He was seen at the campsite; he had the matching moped and the dodgy history. What he did not have was very much evidence, other than circumstantial evidence, tying him to the case. Police should have also checked into strange locals that might have been able to have committed this crime. This crime was done by someone with cunning and smarts to cover the bodies, was agile enough to kill two sporty girls quickly, and knew the area very well.

The case is now seen as unsolved, and the police are still accepting tips. Maybe one day we will have answers as to what happened to Riitta Pakkanen and Eine Nyyssönen.

References:

• Iltalehti: Kuka murhasi nuoret naiset?
• Iltalehti: Riitta, 23, ja Eine, 21, ovat yhä vailla oikeutta: Poliisi saa vieläkin vinkkejä verisestä kaksoismurhasta, jonka pääepäilty riisti itseltään hengen puoli vuosisataa sitten
• The Land of a Thousand Lakes: Double murder in Tulilahti camping site
• Iltasanomat: Murhapaikalta Tulilahdesta löytyi outo lappu, josta viestitettiin jopa FBI:lle – ennen näkemätön poliisin materiaali julki