Former professional hockey player and reality TV personality from Finland, Janne Puhakka, aged 29, was discovered dead in his residence in Espoo on a recent Saturday night. The suspected offender is his 66-year-old former partner, Rolf Nordmo, a Norwegian-born veterinarian, who is believed to have admitted to the crime. The pair had recently ended their romantic relationship, and Puhakka had returned to their shared home to discuss logistical issues when the fatal incident took place.
Nordmo was apprehended at the scene of the crime. Initially, he was detained on charges of manslaughter, but the gravity of the crime was later upgraded to murder. According to a police statement, the act is suspected to have been premeditated and executed in an exceptionally brutal and cruel manner.
While the authorities have not officially disclosed the names of the victim or the suspect, they have confirmed that the two were previously in a relationship. The motive for the crime is believed to be the termination of their relationship. The reasons behind their split remain undisclosed.
Puhakka and Nordmo initiated their relationship in 2014, maintaining its secrecy until Puhakka publicly came out as gay after retiring from professional hockey in 2018. Puhakka, who was 19 when they began dating, had previously expressed apprehension about revealing his sexual orientation in the predominantly masculine world of sports.
In a 2022 interview with the South West News Service, Puhakka confessed that he had initially misrepresented his relationship with Nordmo, telling some individuals that Nordmo was his uncle to evade inquiries. He expressed remorse for having to hide his relationship, stating that it was distressing to conceal the person he loved.
Despite their significant age gap, the couple shared a strong bond. Nordmo once characterized Puhakka as an old soul in a young body and himself as a young soul in an old body. Puhakka, who embarked on his professional hockey career in 2015, played for the Espoo Blues and Espoo United in Finland’s Liiga hockey league. He later joined the Rapaces de Gap team in France’s Ligue Magnus league in 2017 before retiring.
The investigation into Puhakka’s death is currently underway.