Killer Minds: Serial Killers & True Crime Murders

Episode: KILLER INVENTOR: The Submarine Murder Pt. 2

Date: October 16, 2025
Hosts: Vanessa Richardson & Dr. Tristin Ingalls
Subject: The psychology and unraveling of Peter Madsen, the Danish inventor who murdered journalist Kim Wall aboard his submarine in 2017.

Overview

This gripping episode concludes the two-part analysis of Peter Madsen—the so-called “Danish Elon Musk” who transformed from an eccentric, ambitious engineer into a depraved murderer. The hosts, Vanessa Richardson and forensic psychologist Dr. Tristin Ingalls, blend true crime storytelling and clinical analysis to uncover Madsen’s motives, psychological profile, and the chillingly calculated steps that led to Kim Wall’s death. The episode traces the aftermath, investigation, courtroom drama, and psychological underpinnings of this horrifying case.

Episode Structure and Key Segments

• [04:01] Setting the Scene: Kim Wall’s visit to Madsen’s submarine
• [07:21] Forensic Analysis of Madsen’s Manipulation and Predatory Behavior
• [08:56] The Disappearance, Search, and Peter Madsen’s Suspicious Statements
• [12:27] Shifting Stories and Early Signs of Madsen’s Guilt
• [16:46] Discovery of Evidence: The Sinking Submarine, the Remains
• [21:49] Psychological Deconstruction: Dismemberment and Sexual Violence
• [32:31] The Trial: Madsen’s Defense, Disturbing Evidence, and Testimony
• [39:30] Sentencing, Later Developments, and Psychiatric Evaluation

Detailed Summary

1. The Fatal Interview: Kim Wall Boards the Submarine

[04:01-08:56]

• Kim Wall, a journalist, is invited by Peter Madsen for an interview that escalates to a ride on his homemade submarine, the Nautilus, just before her planned farewell party.
• Dr. Ingalls [07:21]: Explains Madsen’s calculated premeditation:

  “Peter carefully constructed an atmosphere of safety and trust... Small acts of reassurance like bringing coffee and cookies... function as tools of grooming.”

• Kim’s boyfriend grows concerned as she fails to return on time; by the early hours, she is reported missing.

2. The Investigation Deepens: Madsen’s Contradictory Stories

[08:56-14:42]

• Authorities launch an overnight search, recover Madsen from the sinking submarine, but Kim is missing.
• Madsen gives confusing statements—first claiming Kim disembarked safely, then blaming a submarine accident.
• Dr. Ingalls [11:36, 13:43]: Highlights classic self-preserving evasions:

  “He may not have considered that Kim told anyone what she was doing... by staying quiet, he bought himself time.” “People who rely on a sense of superiority often assume that they can outwit others... their stories unravel.”

3. The Horrifying Truth Emerges: Evidence and Confession

[16:46-21:49]

• Authorities recover the submarine and human remains—the torso of Kim Wall—proving the sinking was deliberate, not an accident.
• Autopsy reveals dismemberment and 15 stab wounds to the genital area. Cause of death is likely strangulation or throat injury.
• Dr. Ingalls [21:49]: On the psychological meaning of dismemberment:

  “Crimes involving dismemberment... suggest dehumanization... a need for power and dominance... profound lack of empathy.”

4. Patterns, Motives, and Escalation

[23:07-25:29]

• The nature of wounds suggests strong emotional drives, possibly sadism and sexual violence.
• Dr. Ingalls [23:18]:

  “Strangulation... is up close, personal, and prolonged. It often points to control, power, and sometimes sadism.”

• Charges upgraded to premeditated murder, indecent handling of a corpse, and a third for “sexual relationship other than intercourse of a particularly dangerous nature.”

5. Disturbing Depths: The Evidence Piles Up

[25:29-28:57]

• Police and divers recover Kim’s remaining body parts, clothing, the murder weapon, and a saw.
• Madsen’s computer is filled with violent sexual content—videos featuring strangulation, torture, and decapitation, mirroring the actual crime.
• Witnesses detail Madsen’s history: showing violent videos at work, interest in sexual asphyxiation, and missing tools.
• Dr. Ingalls [28:57]:

  “Denial is a defense mechanism... this is likely more about protecting his ego and maintaining control.”

6. Courtroom Revelations: Narrative Control and Manipulation

[30:31-37:47]

• Madsen keeps changing his story: claiming an accident, blaming exhaust fumes, and later admitting dismemberment but denying murder.

• At trial, Madsen suggests stabbing Kim’s body post-mortem was to prevent inflation, and claims changing stories was to “spare the family pain.”

• Dr. Ingalls [34:53]:

  “Calculating manipulation... once again attempting to frame himself in a sympathetic light... the person he's interested in protecting is himself.”

• Prosecutors present disturbing pornographic content found on his computer.

• Chilling Testimony: Other women describe being invited onto the submarine and declining; Madsen once told an acquaintance that the bay was “a good place to hide a body.”

• Dr. Ingalls [37:47]:

  “Individuals with violent sexual fantasies sometimes practice in small ways before committing a crime... Each step thins the barrier between fantasy and reality.”

7. Sentencing, Profile, and Aftermath

[39:30-42:36]

• Madsen is convicted on all charges and sentenced to life in prison (typically 12 years initially in Denmark, but extendable).
• Psychiatric evaluation labels him a “narcissistic psychopath”—grandiosity, lack of empathy, manipulativeness, but no psychosis.
• Dr. Ingalls [40:40]:

  “They were attempting to capture two things: his grandiosity and need for admiration, alongside his lack of empathy, callousness and manipulativeness.”

8. Post-Conviction Behavior

[42:36-45:17]

• Madsen unsuccessfully appeals his sentence, begins relationships (with a female prison guard and a letter writer), attempts a dramatic (and failed) prison escape, receiving an additional 19 months.
• The hosts reflect on Kim Wall’s loss compared to Madsen’s wasted ambitions:

  “Kim was the kind of person Peter could only ever hope to be... She wasn't afraid to form connections... which is something Peter Madsen will never understand.” (Vanessa Richardson [44:39])

Notable Quotes & Moments

• “Peter was actively managing Kim's perception of him. And this shows us how calculated behaviors can be predatory.”
  — Dr. Tristin Ingalls [07:21]

• “Dismembering... frequently done to conceal evidence... there's often an element of dehumanization... a way of exerting power even after death.”
  — Dr. Tristin Ingalls [21:49]

• “Denial is a defense mechanism... this is likely more about protecting his ego and maintaining control.”
  — Dr. Tristin Ingalls [28:57]

• “Individuals with violent sexual fantasies sometimes practice in small ways before committing a crime... Each step thins the barrier between fantasy and reality.”
  — Dr. Tristin Ingalls [37:47]

• “He was really nothing more than a common criminal because he couldn't control his own violent urges.”
  — Vanessa Richardson [44:18]

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 04:01 — The murder’s timeline begins: Kim boards the submarine
• 07:21 — Psychological analysis on Peter’s manipulative tactics
• 11:36 — Initial evasive statements and motives
• 16:46 — Discovery of the Nautilus and mounting evidence
• 21:49 — Forensic significance of the dismemberment
• 30:31 — Madsen’s changing stories and further denial
• 34:53 — Trial manipulation and prosecution’s evidence
• 39:30 — Conviction and psychiatric evaluation
• 42:36 — Madsen’s post-conviction bizarre behavior
• 44:39 — Reflection on Kim Wall’s enduring legacy

Conclusion

This episode delivers a thorough, chilling account of how Peter Madsen’s genius façade crumbled into violence. It exposes the danger of trusting eccentric, charismatic individuals without skepticism, reveals the warning signs of escalating sadistic fantasies, and honors Kim Wall’s legacy as a truth-seeking journalist. It’s a stark reminder of how denial and manipulation can delay but never erase accountability, thanks to relentless investigation and psychological insight.