370:
44:
363:, including Schmid. The young British man they had associated with was also detained, as he was found in the morning with his clothes stained in blood, though he claimed this was the result of a nose-bleed. Schmid was soon ruled out, but the British man was interviewed repeatedly until forensic studies confirmed that the blood in his clothing was indeed almost certainly his, although due to the 1980s forensic technology this was not wholly conclusive.
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ahead of the ship's arrival in port later that morning. At 05:48, the victims reached the hospital, where
Schelkle was pronounced dead on arrival despite attempts by the ship's nurse to resuscitate him during the flight. Taxis was in critical condition with similar injuries, apparently resulting from
454:
of twenty years; this would have meant that the case could no longer be brought to court. Instead, the charges were murder and attempted murder, which do not expire, and can be brought even after more than thirty years. The prosecutors justified the enhanced charges by noting the exceptionally cruel
303:
in
Finland, were wandering around the ship's decks and chanced upon the victims' sleeping area. According to their witness statements they saw two people, who they first thought were heavily intoxicated, as they seemed to struggle to stand up. The boy scouts soon realised that both had serious head
409:
used by ferries to and from Turku. The fishermen left it there, but upon finding it again when they returned a year later, they passed it on to the police. Investigators published the bag's contents, including the fact that a glove found in the bag was monogrammed with initials 'H.K.', and stated
230:
The trio sailed from
Stockholm in the late evening of 27 July. They became acquainted with a number of their fellow passengers that night, including a young British man on his way to meet a Finnish woman he had met earlier, and a Finnish car parts dealer returning from a business trip in Germany.
417:
Over the next several years, investigators traced and interviewed as many of the video-recorded passengers as possible; some could never be identified. Investigators sailed on the same ship several times, hoping to find clues, to no avail. As forensic technology advanced, the evidence gathered
287:
Around 01:00 on 28 July, Schelkle and Taxis fetched their sleeping bags from inside the ship, while Schmid was asleep in a public area with the backpacks and other belongings of all three. The couple headed for the open-air 9th deck at the rear of the ship, where they had earlier identified a
465:
In
October 2021, it was reported that the accused had allegedly confessed the murder to two Finnish police investigators in 2016, providing details of the weapon used, although he subsequently recanted this under formal questioning. The alleged confession was made without a
348:
technicians arrived on the ship at 06:30, while still at sea, on the same helicopter that had transported the victims to hospital. When the ship docked in Turku at 08:10, the police had it surrounded, aiming to seal in the perpetrator who was still thought to be on board.
470:
lawyer or witnesses being present, and was therefore ruled inadmissible by the court hearing the case. The prosecutors appealed this ruling, with the case due before the court of appeal of Turku in 2022, but they later withdrew their appeal, leaving the case unresolved.
311:
The boy scouts alerted the ship's front desk, which ordered the ship's on-call nurse and security operative to the site of the incident. The nurse immediately recognised the severity of the injuries and asked the ship's captain, also in attendance, to request a
443:. In December 2020 a district prosecutor announced that homicide charges have been filed against a Danish man born in 1969, one of the former boy scouts who discovered the victims. The trial started on 24 May 2021 in the district court of Southwestern Finland.
190:
tourists, Klaus
Schelkle (aged 20) and Bettina Taxis (aged 22), killing the former and seriously injuring the latter. In September 2020, Finnish police announced charges against a suspect and passed the case on to prosecutors. In June 2021, the suspect was
422:
footage, and no apparent motive, and Taxis has no recollection of the incident, all of which made solving the crime particularly difficult. Despite the unprecedented scale of the police effort, the investigation was discontinued in the 1990s.
435:
in the case, but would not reveal the suspect's age, sex or nationality, confirming only that the person was alive and thought to have acted alone. They later added that the perpetrator is thought not to have known the victims.
231:
Schelkle and Taxis were social and outgoing; Schmid was more reserved. The three had limited funds, which explains why on the night of the incident they did not have cabins, instead sleeping in a public area.
932:["He showed with his hands how he hit both victims repeatedly on the head" — will alleged Viking Sally confession be admitted as evidence at court of appeal?] (in Finnish). Yle. 17 June 2022.
699:[Student couple slept in their sleeping bags on a ferry deck, when the killer attacked — Turku police claim to have now solved the 33-year-old case] (in Finnish). Yle. 11 September 2020.
853:
958:[Prosecutors withdrew their appeal in the Viking Sally murder case - Herman Himle is not guilty of the mindless violence against the backpackers] (in Finnish). Yle. 10 October 2022.
822:[Viking Sally murder mystery from 32 years ago going to prosecutors - the suspect has been interviewed several times but not arrested] (in Finnish). Aamulehti. 13 January 2020.
555:
524:
352:
Police initially planned to interview and video-record all passengers as they disembarked, but soon realised this was not possible due to the sheer numbers involved, with
337:
decided that due to the significant investigative resources required, the Turku regional police force would investigate the matter instead, assisted by the
Finnish
462:
on all charges. Had the charges resulted in a conviction, they would have represented the longest offence-to-conviction lead time in
Finnish judicial history.
304:
injuries and were barely conscious, and that the whole area surrounding them was covered in blood. One of the boy scouts approached them, intending to provide
845:
797:
729:
697:"Opiskelijapari nukkui makuupusseissaan ruotsinlaivan kannella, kun tappaja hyökkäsi – Turun poliisin mukaan 33 vuotta vanha murha on nyt selvinnyt"
601:[Danish man charged with the murder of German tourist on Viking Sally thirty years ago] (in Finnish). Helsingin Sanomat. 7 December 2020.
930:""Hän osoitti käsillään, miten löi kumpaakin useamman kerran päähän" – kelpaako Viking Sallyn murhan väitetty tunnustus näytöksi hovioikeudessa?"
766:
728:[32-year-old murder mystery on Viking Sally back on the agenda, police confident of solution] (in Finnish). Iltalehti. 3 August 2019.
547:
956:"Syyttäjät peruivat valituksensa Viking Sallyn murhajutussa – Herman Himle on syytön reppureissaajien kohtaamaan silmittömään väkivaltaan"
820:"32 vuoden takainen Viking Sallyn murhamysteeri etenee syyttäjälle – poliisi kuullut epäiltyä useita kertoja, mutta häntä ei ole vangittu"
338:
823:
516:
874:
987:
English translation of a chapter from a
Finnish 1992 book, written by Detective Inspector Eino Kivimäki, recounting the incident.
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passengers on board that day, and decided to exclude families with children and the elderly. They had also detained certain
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provided some clues but ultimately not enough to solve the mystery. There were no eyewitnesses to the incident, no useful
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In August 1987, shortly after the incident, local fishermen discovered a plastic bag full of clothes on the uninhabited
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who were romantically involved. Together with
Schelkle's friend, Thomas Schmid, they had decided to tour the
796:[Police confirms: Viking Sally murder suspect is alive] (in Finnish). Iltalehti. 22 November 2019.
77:
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In
September 2020, Turku police finally announced that they had solved the case and were passing it on to
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317:
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heavy blows to the head. A chief investigator later described the attack as "especially ferocious".
260:
245:
20:
726:"Viking Sallyn 32 vuotta vanha murhamysteeri nousi uudestaan tapetille, poliisi uskoo ratkaisuun"
451:
599:"Tanskalaismies saa syytteet saksalaisturistin 30 vuoden takaisesta murhasta Viking Sallylla"
8:
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313:
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in 1994, claiming 852 lives in one of the 20th century's worst maritime disasters.
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passengers and 400 vehicles, and a crew of approximately 200. The previous year, a
208:
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996:
467:
432:
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Klaus Schelkle (born 1967) and Bettina Taxis (born 1965) were students from
447:
204:
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630:"Viking Sally: Suspect accused of 1987 Finland ferry murder is acquitted"
345:
241:
169:
548:"Opsigtsvækkende oplysninger i finsk drabssag mod frifundet dansk mand"
440:
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that some forensic evidence suggested that the clothes originated from
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in the Turku archipelago, only some 200 metres (660 ft) from the
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846:"Dane in court over grisly murder on board a German ferry in 1987"
330:
249:
99:
517:"Dansker frifundet i finsk drabssag: Jeg har provokeret politiet"
329:
The crime almost certainly took place within the jurisdiction of
289:
398:
955:
308:, but soon realised that their injuries were far too serious.
794:"Poliisi vahvistaa: Viking Sallyn murhasta epäilty on elossa"
402:
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220:
183:
292:. Their chosen location was dimly lit due to a broken lamp.
419:
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rescue helicopter to be dispatched to carry the victims to
215:
rail pass, with the aim of travelling from West Germany to
906:[Cruel game] (in Finnish). Yle. 11 October 2021.
875:"Danish man stands trial for 1987 cruise ship attack"
485:
227:, and returning south along the coast of Norway.
994:
414:, but this did not lead to a break in the case.
376:
295:At approximately 03:45, a group of three Danish
446:The case had originally been investigated as a
759:"Murder on the Upper Deck. An Unsolved Crime"
431:In 2019, the police revealed that they had a
426:
985:Murder on the Upper Deck. An Unsolved Crime.
168:which took place on 28 July 1987 aboard the
52:, pictured in Stockholm harbour in the 1980s
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546:Sørensen, Sola Kruchov (3 April 2022).
102:archipelago, Finnish territorial waters
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76:Unknown, likely shortly before 03:45 (
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186:, Finland. An assailant attacked two
910:from the original on 11 October 2021
826:from the original on 19 October 2021
800:from the original on 13 January 2021
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344:The first police investigators and
223:, continuing up through Finland to
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288:sheltered spot next to the ship's
244:ferry fleet, which provides daily
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962:from the original on 13 July 2024
936:from the original on 17 June 2022
881:from the original on 13 July 2024
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703:from the original on 13 July 2024
640:from the original on 30 June 2021
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558:from the original on 13 July 2024
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339:National Bureau of Investigation
324:
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856:from the original on 2021-05-25
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458:In June 2021, the suspect was
219:, crossing over on a ferry to
195:. The crime remains unsolved.
1:
1038:German people murdered abroad
1033:Attacks on tourists in Europe
1028:Maritime incidents in Finland
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353:
253:
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16:Murder aboard a ferry in 1987
401:of Lilla Björnholm, outside
335:Finnish Ministry of Interior
248:between Sweden, Finland and
7:
1023:Unsolved murders in Finland
523:(in Danish). 30 June 2021.
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261:passenger had been murdered
134:Murder and attempted murder
10:
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1018:July 1987 events in Europe
1013:Maritime incidents in 1987
427:Murder trial and aftermath
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1048:Finland–Germany relations
318:Turku University Hospital
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481:List of unsolved murders
19:Not to be confused with
1003:1987 murders in Finland
61:July 28, 1987
252:. It had capacity for
88:Aboard cruiseferry MS
283:Night of the incident
267:was later renamed MS
877:. Yle. 24 May 2021.
765:. 7 September 2018.
386:class=notpageimage|
299:, on their way to a
246:cruiseferry services
455:nature of the act.
361:persons of interest
314:Finnish Coast Guard
38:
521:Kristeligt Dagblad
263:on the same ship.
115:Non-fatal injuries
110:1 (Klaus Schelkle)
32:
389:Lilla Björnholm,
273:subsequently sank
154:
153:
118:1 (Bettina Taxis)
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1008:History of Ă…land
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852:. 2021-05-24.
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707:11 September
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560:. Retrieved
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448:manslaughter
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412:Viking Sally
411:
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357: 1,400
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265:Viking Sally
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257: 2,000
237:Viking Sally
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205:West Germany
202:
175:Viking Sally
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160:Viking Sally
159:
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90:Viking Sally
89:
50:Viking Sally
49:
35:Viking Sally
34:
29:
23:Viking Sally
22:
441:prosecutors
346:crime scene
242:Viking Line
188:West German
170:cruiseferry
1043:MS Estonia
997:Categories
914:11 October
860:2021-05-25
609:28 January
503:References
333:, but the
297:boy scouts
277:Baltic Sea
199:Background
65:1987-07-28
763:Forenseek
562:15 August
531:15 August
460:acquitted
306:first aid
217:Stockholm
213:Interrail
193:acquitted
180:Stockholm
150:Acquitted
966:1 August
960:Archived
934:Archived
908:Archived
879:Archived
854:Archived
824:Archived
798:Archived
767:Archived
730:Archived
701:Archived
638:Archived
634:BBC News
603:Archived
556:Archived
525:Archived
475:See also
407:sea lane
301:jamboree
271:, which
166:homicide
96:Location
940:17 June
644:20 June
468:defence
341:(NBI).
290:helipad
275:in the
269:Estonia
225:Lapland
147:Verdict
131:Charges
123:Accused
63: (
885:25 May
399:skerry
211:on an
162:murder
107:Deaths
37:murder
25:murder
403:Korpo
391:Korpo
331:Ă…land
250:Ă…land
221:Turku
184:Turku
164:is a
158:1987
139:Trial
100:Ă…land
85:Venue
33:1987
21:1986
968:2023
942:2022
916:2021
887:2021
832:2020
806:2020
775:2020
738:2020
709:2020
646:2021
611:2021
564:2023
533:2023
420:CCTV
156:The
78:EEST
73:Time
58:Date
235:MS
173:MS
48:MS
999::
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552:DR
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