An Irish national has been handed a 14-year prison sentence in Hungary for the murder of an American tourist in Budapest in 2024.
The victim, Mackenzie Michalski, a 31-year-old individual from Portland, Oregon, went missing on November 5, 2024, while vacationing in Hungary after being last seen at a nightclub in the capital.
Following a missing person report, authorities reviewed surveillance footage from local nightspots, spotting Ms. Michalski, known as “Kenzie,” with a man who was later identified as the perpetrator on the night of her disappearance.
The suspect, referred to by the initials LTM and aged 37 at the time, was apprehended on November 7, confessed to the crime during police interrogation, and was subsequently charged.
According to investigators, Ms. Michalski and the suspect met at a club, danced together, and then proceeded to his rented apartment, where the fatal incident occurred.
The man confessed to assaulting and strangling Ms. Michalski during what was described as an “intimate interaction” by the authorities.
On Thursday, the Budapest Metropolitan Court convicted the perpetrator of murder, sentencing him to 14 years in prison with no chance of parole, with credit given for the 18 months already spent in custody, and ordered his deportation from Hungary upon completion of his term.
Additionally, the court mandated the man to pay 2.5 million forints (£6,000) in legal fees, as his defense counsel lodged an appeal against the judgment.
After his arrest, the man claimed the victim’s death was accidental, but evidence suggested he attempted to conceal the crime by cleaning the crime scene, hiding the body in a wardrobe, and later disposing of it in a remote area near Lake Balaton.
Law enforcement revealed that the perpetrator conducted online searches related to body disposal, police protocols in missing person cases, animal scavenging behaviors, and local wildlife, including wild boars near Lake Balaton.
Moreover, he inquired online about the efficiency of Budapest police, alluding to premeditated actions post the tragic incident.