Dead Hockey Player Janne Puhakka’s Ex-Boyfriend Says He Killed Him: Report

UPDATE: 10/16/24, 11:25 a.m. ET — The ex-boyfriend of former Finnish hockey player Janne Puhakka has reportedly confessed to his murder. 

According to Finland’s YLE, Rolf Nordmo, 66, told police he shot and killed Puhakka, 29, with a hunting shotgun on Sunday, October 13 when Puhakka came over to the apartment the couple formerly shared for “the arrangement of practical matters.”

Nordmo said he and Puhakka, the first openly gay Finnish hockey player, broke up a few weeks ago. 

A friend of Puhuakka’s reportedly arrived at the apartment after not being able to contact him. The friend then called law enforcement upon discovering the scene. 

Original story below:

Janne Puhakka, Finland’s first openly gay ice hockey player, is dead after a suspected murder. He was 29.

Puhakka, who played for Espoo Blues and Espoo United before ending his career at the end of the 2017–2018 season, died in the home he shared with his Norwegian veterinarian partner, Rolf Nordmo, Finland newspaper Ilta-Sanomat reported on Sunday, October 13.

According to Finland media, Puhakka’s case is being treated as a murder with a 65-year-old suspect detained on the scene on suspicion of shooting the athlete to death. Ilta-Sanomat reported that Nordmo, 65, is the suspect, but police have not confirmed the suspect’s identity.

Detective Inspector Matti Högman told news agency STT there was “reason to believe the suspect’s actions were deliberate and cruel” and the “suspect and victim knew each other.”

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Soon after Puhakka’s death was confirmed, Finland’s former Prime Minister Sanna Marin took to Instagram to share an image of the former ice hockey player with a broken love heart emoji.

“We send our sincere condolences to his family, his relatives and all his former teammates,” the Rapaces de Gap hockey team said in a statement via Instagram on Monday, October 14….