The Arrest

On 17 July 1975, Honka was on a shift at the ship yard, when a fire started by candles in a neighbour’s apartment engulfed the his entire house. Firefighters tried to control the flames from the top of the building but when they reached the attic they were met by the penetrating stench of rotten bodies. When Honka returned home the next morning, the police were waiting for him. At this point, investigators had no evidence of his guilt - all of the neighbours also had access to the attic – they needed a confession. Given Honka’s low intelligence and his speech impediment, the questioning was not easy. However, Honka was was aware that sooner or later he would be found out and during interrogation he confessed to committing four murders. He never revealed his motive to the police, apart from to say that he was contacted by Jack the Ripper who told him to kill the women.