A shooting in central Tampere
On 12 September 2024, a woman met her partner, Terno Alkki Rikhard Hedman, on Hämeenkatu in central Tampere. The street was busy and the woman's young child was with her. According to the later court findings, Hedman had travelled to Tampere carrying a loaded handgun.
Hedman shot the woman during the encounter. She was pregnant and died from her injuries. Her young child was not physically injured. Two bystanders were also struck during the shooting, making the incident both a homicide and a serious public-safety event.
Evidence of prior threats and violence
The criminal proceedings documented a history of violence in the relationship. The victim had stayed at a shelter and had expressed fear that Hedman would kill her. The court considered threatening messages and the circumstances before the shooting when assessing whether the killing was planned.
Hedman was arrested after leaving the city center. Prosecutors brought a murder charge together with several other offenses arising from the shooting and earlier conduct.
Life sentence and appeal
In February 2025, Pirkanmaa District Court convicted Hedman of murder and sentenced him to life imprisonment. The court also convicted him of other offenses. Hedman appealed the murder classification and argued that the homicide should be treated as manslaughter rather than murder.
On 15 January 2026, the Turku Court of Appeal upheld the murder conviction and life sentence. It agreed that the killing was premeditated and found the conduct particularly brutal, while dismissing two assault-related charges concerning bystanders.
Supreme Court application withdrawn
Hedman initially sought leave to appeal to Finland's Supreme Court. Yle reported on 25 March 2026 that he had withdrawn that application and accepted the Court of Appeal judgment. At the time of that report, the Supreme Court still had to issue a procedural decision concerning the withdrawal, so this archive does not claim a later procedural step that has not been independently verified here.
The core criminal finding is nevertheless clear: both the district court and the Court of Appeal convicted Hedman of murder and imposed a life sentence.