Janne Puhakka, A First-Ever Openly Gay Hockey Player In Finland, Allegedly Shot And Killed By His Partner

Janne Puhakka, revered as the country’s pioneer openly gay hockey player, tragically met his demise when he was allegedly shot and killed by his estranged husband. This heartbreaking incident occurred just weeks after the couple had decided to end their relationship, as confirmed by local law enforcement authorities. 

Janne’s untimely death has sent shockwaves through the community, raising awareness about the prevalence of domestic violence within same-sex relationships and emphasizing the need for greater support and resources for LGBTQ individuals facing such challenges.

“Police have now questioned the man suspected of committing a homicide”

The Police of Finland made a statement on Tuesday night in which they stated they had been looking into the murder of a 29-year-old that happened on October 13, the day Puhakka was killed. They did not identify the victim or the suspect.

The statement stated that “police have now questioned the man suspected of committing a homicide in Espoo’s Henttaa on October 13th” and alleged that “the suspect has told that he shot the victim with a shotgun and caused the victim’s death.”

“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 statement added.

Puhakka’s estranged 66-year-old spouse Rolf Nordmo is the suspect, according to a report released over the weekend by the Finnish Broadcasting Company, Yleisradio Oy (YLE). 

In an earlier statement, the police stated that they had detained a man at that age at the crime scene who they thought was responsible for Puhakka’s death.

According to YLE, Puhakka spent one season as a professional hockey player with the Espoo Blues of Finland’s top Liiga league before moving on to the top-tier Ligue Magnus league in France in 2017 and eventually giving up the game. 

According to the site, Puhakka made his public debut soon after retiring and went on to write his autobiography, Ulos Kopista, about his life in 2022.

Puhakka was a cast member of the Finnish reality show Petolliset

Additionally, according to YLE, Puhakka was a cast member of Petolliset, a Finnish reality show that is a spin-off of The Traitors, a Dutch reality series. 

The show’s producer, Nelonen Media, announced on social media that it will not be airing Petolliset’s last episode on schedule. An English translation of the saying says, “Now is not the time.”

According to police, on Tuesday, a friend of the couple had been worried for Puhakka’s well-being and had called emergency services because she knew that he and Nordmo were going through a difficult period and that the former hockey player was out of communication with them.

According to the Finnish Police, the murder weapon of choice was thought to be a shotgun that had been used for hunting that was discovered at the scene. According to authorities, Nordmo, a Norwegian, had a permit in Norway for the hunting rifle.

According to YLE, Nordmo had just left the couple’s shared Espoo, Finland, residence, which is located around 13 miles west of Helsinki. Because it seemed as though Nordmo’s death was planned, police raised their accusation against him from manslaughter to murder, according to YLE.

The Finnish police’s statement said “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.”

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