Bio

Mika Kalevi Muranen was born in 1971 in Kotka, Finland. By 1994, he was serving as a Finnish military conscript. His military service placed him at a barracks in Hamina, where he had access to military equipment and weapons. On Sunday, April 17, 1994, Muranen returned to the barracks after leave. He then stole an Rk 62 assault rifle from the military facility and left for his hometown of Kotka. This act set off the chain of events that led to three killings and an armed police pursuit. Finnish reporting later described the case as one that shocked the country, partly because the offender was a young conscript who used both a military weapon and a crossbow.

Murder Story

On April 18, 1994, Mika Muranen returned to the neighborhood where he had lived in Kotka. Still dressed in military clothing, he armed himself with a crossbow taken from his home. His first victims were his neighbors, Reino Vulkko, 53, and Sirkka Vulkko, 54. Finnish reporting states that Muranen first shot Reino Vulkko outside the house with the crossbow, then entered the home and killed Sirkka Vulkko with the same weapon.

After the killings, Muranen remained at large with the stolen assault rifle. On April 19, 1994, he killed 45-year-old mailman Matti Olli with the rifle. He also fired at nearby houses and later shot at police officers during the search for him. Reports state that he fled into nearby forested terrain with his dog while police pursued him.

The police search lasted about a day. During the pursuit, officers shot Muranen’s dog, and Muranen fired multiple times at police with the assault rifle. Officers eventually wounded him slightly and arrested him. After his arrest, reports stated that he expressed regret that his military service would be terminated.

Muranen was found mentally competent to stand trial. The Kotka District Court sentenced him to life imprisonment for three murders, eight attempted murders, and three attempted manslaughters. He began serving his sentence in prison and was later transferred to an open prison in Laukaa.

Muranen applied for parole several times, including in 2006, 2007, 2010, and 2011. In September 2013, the Helsinki Court of Appeal granted parole, and he was released from prison in September 2014. This corrects the older claim that he was paroled in December 2007.