Janne Puhakka, Finland’s first openly gay hockey player, has been tragically murdered.
According to reports, Puhakka, 29, was shot and killed by his estranged husband Rolf Nordmo, 66, on 13 October.
A friend of the couple who was aware of their marital issues contacted emergency services after they were unable to reach Puhakka. The Police of Finland discovered Nordmo at the scene of the crime, as well as a shotgun, which is believed to be the murder weapon.
In a statement, police said they “have now questioned the man suspected of committing a homicide in Espoo’s Henttaa on October 13th” and claimed that “the suspect has told that he shot the victim with a shotgun and caused the victim’s death.”
Nordmo, who is from Trøndelag, Norway, had a permit for the hunting weapon.
As reported by Yleisradio Oy (YLE), Nordmo had recently moved out of their home in Espoo, approximately 13 miles west of Helsinki. Detective Inspector Matti Högman said he returned on Sunday to take care of some “practical matters”.
“It was revealed in the interrogation that the motive for the crime was the ending of the relationship between the victim and the suspect,” the Police of Finland continued in their statement.
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“The police are now seeking to clarify the background of the incident and the sequence of events at the time of the crime. To this end, the police are interviewing witnesses and the suspect, as well as conducting a technical investigation.”
While Nordmo was originally charged with manslaughter, it has been upgraded to murder after detectives found that the killing was premeditated.
Over the course of Puhakka’s career, he played ice hockey in Canada for theChicoutimi Saguenéens, in Finland for the Espoo Blues, TUTO Hockey and Espoo United and in France for Rapaces de Gap.
He publicly came out as gay in 2019, making history in the process as Finland’s first openly gay professional ice hockey player.
Earlier this year, he made his reality television debut in Petolliset, the Finnish version of The Traitors. Following his death, it was announced that the final episode would not be broadcast on 17 October as planned.
Our thoughts are with Janne Puhakka’s friends and family during this unimaginable time.
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