Finland’s first openly gay hockey player shot dead by partner

The boyfriend of Finland’s first openly gay professional hockey player allegedly admitted to shooting his younger partner with a hunting rifle over the weekend, shortly after their relationship ended.

Janne Puhakka, 29, was discovered dead on Saturday night in his Espoo home, where he previously lived with his 66-year-old partner, Rolf Nordmo, according to Finnish news outlet YLE.

The former hockey player, who appeared on Finland’s version of ‘The Traitors’ reality show, had recently moved out after their breakup but remained “somewhat involved” with his former partner, investigators stated.

When he returned over the weekend to resolve “practical matters,” Nordmo allegedly took a shotgun and fired, police reported.

Nordmo, a veterinarian from Norway, was apprehended at the scene. He supposedly admitted to shooting during interrogation, as per the outlet’s report.

As ‘New York Post’ reports, initially arrested for manslaughter, Nordmo now faces upgraded charges of murder, as “the act is suspected to have been premeditated and executed in a particularly brutal manner,” according to police. The names of the victim and suspect have not been officially released.

However, police confirmed the two “had been in a relationship” and the crime motive was tied to the relationship’s end.

The reason for the couple's breakup was not immediately clarified.

The couple began dating secretly in 2014 when Puhakka was 19. They gained attention after Puhakka publicly discussed his sexuality post-retirement in 2018.

In a South West News Service interview, Puhakka spoke of being “frightened” about revealing his sexuality to family, friends, and teammates.

“I didn’t want people to know about my sexuality,” Puhakka said in the 2022 interview. “I was scared of how I would be seen in the ultra-masculine sports world.” He admitted to initially telling some that Nordmo was his uncle to avoid relationship inquiries.

“I had to keep him a secret — and it isn’t a nice thing to hide the person you love,” Puhakka expressed.

Once public, the couple acknowledged being mistaken for father and son, though they themselves didn’t notice the nearly four-decade age difference.

“I often say Janne is an old soul in a young body, and I’m a young soul in an old body,” said Nordmo in the interview.

Puhakka, who began his professional hockey career in 2015, played for the Espoo Blues and Espoo United in Finland’s Liiga. He later joined France’s Rapaces de Gap in Ligue Magnus in 2017 before retiring.

The investigation into his death continues.