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A Hungarian court has sentenced an Irish citizen to 14 years in prison for the murder of an American tourist in Budapest in 2024.
The victim, 31-year-old Mackenzie Michalski from Portland, Oregon, was on holiday in Hungary when she was reported missing on the 5th of November.
Ms Michalski was last seen at a nightclub. Police analysis of CCTV from the nightclub revealed that “Kenzie” was with a man who was later identified as a suspect.
The 37-year-old man, identified only by his initials L.T.M, was taken into custody on the 7th of November and later confessed to killing the woman.
Investigating officers said that the pair had been dancing at the club before returning to the suspect’s rented apartment, where they had intimate relations in the midst of which he beat and strangled the victim.
Budapest Metropolitan Court found the man guilty of murder on Thursday, 9th of July, before sentencing him to 14 years in prison with no possibility of parole.
After his arrest in 2024, the suspect claimed the victim’s death had been an accident; however, the investigation discovered that he had tried to hide the crime by cleaning the apartment and hiding Michalski’s body in a wardrobe before purchasing a suitcase and concealing her remains inside.
He then rented a car and drove to Lake Balaton, southwest of Budapest, where he disposed of the body in a wooded area on the outskirts of the town of Szigliget.
He also Googled whether wild boars eat dead bodies, if there were boars where he dumped the remains, how to dispose of a body, and police procedure in missing persons investigations. He also conducted online research as to the competence of local police.
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