The Cold Blooded Wife Maria Kisch: Dismembered Body of Gabriel Kisch

Scandinavian Crimes (w/ Devante & Delila)

Year(s) of Incident: November 30, 1998
Location: Sweden
The Cold Blooded Wife Maria Kisch: The Dismembered Body of Gabriel Kisch
Victim(s):  1
Method: Murder, Dismemberment

In November 1998, 81-year-old Gabriel Kisch was murdered in Stockholm, Sweden, in a case that shocked the nation. His wife, Maria Kisch, originally from Timisoara, Romania, was found guilty of his murder and sentenced to life imprisonment in 2000. The brutal nature of the crime, including the dismemberment of Gabriel's body, revealed deep-seated turmoil within their relationship. Maria’s conviction cast a dark shadow over the seemingly ordinary lives they led, as investigators uncovered details of strained dynamics and growing conflict. The case sparked significant media attention, leaving an indelible mark on Swedish criminal history.
 

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Persons of Interest

From murderers to money launderers, thieves to thugs – police officers from the...

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Chapters

• 0:00 Introduction
• 3:17 Story - Investigation
• 12:18 Story - Trial and Conviction
• 17:36 Discussion Section
• 18:59 [Ad] Persons of Interest
• 19:38 (Cont.) Discussion Section
• 28:31 Conclusion/Outro

Transcript

Welcome to Scandinavian Crimes. My name is Devante and say hello to my lovely co-host, Delila. 

Hi.(...) 

And on this podcast, we talk about famous Scandinavian criminals who made their mark throughout Scandinavian history.(...) So today is going to be a gruesome

(...)

case.

(...)

Today's episode will be an examination and dive into the case of Maria Kish,(...) a woman whose motivations behind her drastic actions still remain kind of a mystery today. And this involves her gruesome dismemberment murder that really shocked a lot of people in Central Stockholm and left a lot of people, like, I guess, worried because this is out of control when you think about it. Like, it's one thing to kill someone, but to sit there and be able to dismember someone's body, that's a different level of focus and commitment and just,(...) yeah, that's, I don't know, that's different.(...) So I'm not going to drag it on too much longer, this introduction, because I want you to get deep into this story. So you already know(...) what I'm about to say. What am I going to say? I like to tell, tell, tell the audience.

Grab your tea, grab your snacks, uh, no, no,

no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. I didn't

hear you say anything. Okay. Grab your, okay. You know what you're going to do. Yeah.(...) Grab your tea,

(...)

grab your snacks. If you're on the way to work,

(...)

sit in a little corner and just buy, play listen to our podcast.

(...)

Well, Devonta is going to tell the story.

(...)

Uh, yeah. So that, that's the best I can do. Okay. Thank you.

You couldn't even do the rest of it.

Oh, okay. Sorry.

(...)

This is the story of Maria Kish.

(...)

Late in the evening on November 30th, 1998,(...) both the fire department and the police received calls about a possible person in the water near Malastrand in Stockholm.(...) Initially, witness thought it was a buoy,(...) but they then soon realized it might be someone drowning in the icy waters. Within minutes of the alarm, police and rescue services arrived on the scene only to discover something far more gruesome. It was extremely cold and there were very few people outside with only an occasional car passing by. There lay a body wrapped in a package. When they unwrapped it, they found a torso with no head, no arms, and no legs.(...) It was a square shaped piece of a man's body. Rescue divers left the scene and the task was handed over to the special operations teams, divers to search for more body parts.

(...)

During the initial phase, they had to dive around without any specific leads. They started from where the torso was found and contained along the operating on the assumption that the perpetrator had disposed the body parts from the way. The search was incredibly challenging with the water's bottom cluttered and dirty from years of discarded items. At the time, construction work was taking place at the koi, precisely at the location they discovered some sort of package. Upon opening it, they found it containing another body part. Based on the mutilated body, it was clear that the person who committed the crime had a good understanding of human anatomy. A hunter, doctor, or butcher could be responsible for dismemberment. The police had a few clues to go on that night, but continued to review lists of missing people and search for more body parts. When the media highlighted the case, the police received a call from a man who had been cycling along the area and saw something strange. The cyclist was on his way home around 1600 hours when he saw a dark clothed woman standing with a plastic bag emptying something down the water.(...) Since her back was turned, he couldn't see her face clearly, but he noticed that she was wearing large glasses. The cyclist's witness was brought to the scene and pointed out the exact location where he saw her. When they looked down from the koi, they saw more body parts.(...) The limbs were so pale, they appeared almost luminous under the water.(...) The legs, with feet still attached, lay freely on the bottom,(...) not contained in any plastic bags or packages. One can only speculate that the person who disposed of the body did so at different times, which could explain the various locations where the body parts were found.(...) The average of a fully grown man's body weight is around 80 kilograms, so it's possible that the disposals happened on different dates.

(...)

The big question was how this could happen. Who could dismember a body and dump the parts in the middle of Stockholm?

(...)

The police went through a list of missing people, but found no clues as to who the dismembered man might be. The police did know the victim was well over 60 years old, and the fact that the victim was an older man makes this a very unusual case. Most dismembered victims tend to be younger, and if they were men, they often have some form of criminal background.

(...)

It is very rare for victims to be over 50 years old. In fact, the police could not immediately recall any similar case involving such an elderly victim.

(...)

This unusual detail might suggest the victim was an ordinary person who was murdered rather than someone with a criminal connection. Then late one evening, they had made a significant discovery.(...) The divers had found the head, which appeared to be disfigured.(...) When the forensic pathologists examined the head, they noted that the man's normally gray hair had turned blonde.(...) This indicated that the head had been exposed to high heat.

(...)

The team speculated that this might have been done to make identification more difficult.(...) Despite the damage, the police were able to create a composite image of what they believed the man looked like before the heat exposure. The image was broadcasted on TV, on December 15th, and published in newspapers on December 16th. On the afternoon of the 16th, a man called saying that the image resembled his father, who had been out of contact for several days. The police learned who the father's dentist was, dispatched a patrol car to retrieve the dental records, and brought them to the forensic station. Within a few hours, when the victim's teeth were compared with the father's dental records, the forensic anontologist confirmed the identity of the victim. The man's name was Gabriel Kish, an 81-year-old pensioner living in Bandhagen near Haugdalen Centrum. Gabriel had moved from Timi Sora, Romania, to Sweden with his then wife and children, settling in Stockholm. Those who knew him described him as a pleasant, tidy, elderly man who tried to make a good life for himself. The victim had lived a completely ordinary life with no criminal ties at all.

(...)

In 1993, Gabriel's wife passed away, leaving him very lonely.

(...)

He got in touch with Maria through a cousin, and Maria was also from Timi Sora. They began corresponding with letters, sharing details about his life in Stockholm.

(...)

Maria, being 36 years younger than Gabriel, found this appealing, as she also was lonely and thought Bandhagen was charming and full of life.

(...)

Eventually, they married and lived together in the apartment in Bandhagen.

(...)

The police learned from Gabriel's daughter-in-law that they had been looking for him for about a week. They had asked Maria who had refused to say where he was.(...) Eventually, the daughter-in-law threatened to contact the police if Maria did not reveal his whereabouts.

(...)

When threatened, Maria quickly left the country, fleeing to Budapest, Hungary, just two weeks after the torso was discovered.

(...)

The police issued an international warrant for her for her arrest and began a house search of Gabriel and Maria's apartment. The police meticulously examined every detail of the apartment, especially the bathroom and bathtub. Astonishingly, the drain was incredibly clean, so clean that it was unprecedented.

(...)

This led the police to suspect the body had been dismembered there, however, proving it was challenging due to the thorough cleaning.

(...)

The major homicide commission enlisted Sweden's most skilled forensic technicians.(...) On the balcony, they found a dark plastic bag, which when analyzed, compared with other findings, matched the exact type of bag used to dispose of the body parts.

(...)

Despite the apartment being meticulously clean, the police found additional evidence that strengthened their suspicions against Maria.

(...)

The most significant discovery was made in the kitchen. It was evident that the victim's head had been exposed to high heat, leading investigators to the oven.

(...)

Although the oven appeared unusually clean, a thorough examination revealed a hair lodged in one of the hinges. A baking tray from the oven was also sent for special analysis.(...) Multiple samples from different areas of the tray contained DNA matching the victim's DNA.

(...)

The challenge was determining whether the DNA was a result of a murder or simply from everyday living in the apartment.(...) Simulations were conducted to assess how much DNA would remain, revealing that the amounts found were larger than expected from merely living there. Besides the DNA, several hairs matching the victim were also found in the oven.

(...)

Maria has been internationally wanted since Gabriel's identity was established. On January 24, 1999,(...) the police received a call stating that Maria was seen in Hogg-Dallen Central. Per Apelegrin and his colleague were in their patrol car when they received an alert to head to Hogg-Dallen Center, where a woman suspected of murder was reportedly located.

(...)

Behind the shopping center lies a large parking lot and directly to the left on the sidewalk they saw Maria walking.(...) She was quite small, wearing large distinctive glasses which matched the description from the alert.(...) They got out and informed them that she was under arrest on suspicion of murder. She didn't react much, remained silent, and complied when they asked her to sit in the car.

(...)

Typically people in such situations are stressed, anxious, or aggressive, but Maria showed none of these emotions.

(...)

There was a coldness about her as if she didn't seem to care.(...) It was almost as if she expected to go with them. After her arrest, Maria was detained and placed in Cronenberg, Remand Prison. During police interrogation, Maria shared her version of events.(...) According to her, Gabriel left the apartment on November 30, 1999, the same day his torso was found at Södermallestrand.(...) She claimed that he first went to Orland to withdraw 160,000 finished marks he had invested in the bank and then proceeded to Budapest to purchase an apartment.

(...)

Maria knew that Gabriel wanted to invest his money in a property in Hungary.

(...)

She believed his failure to call her was because he intended to surprise her, so she was waiting for his call.(...) But after two weeks' well-hearing from Gabriel, Maria became worried, and so she decided to travel to Budapest herself to find him.(...) She visited a hotel where they had previously stayed, but he was not there.

(...)

Unable to locate Gabriel in Budapest, she traveled to Timisora. There, Maria read in a local newspaper that she was wanted by the Swedish police and was suspected of murder.(...) After reading the article, she contacted the Swedish embassy, obtained a visa, and returned to Sweden.

(...)

Upon her arrival, she was arrested.

(...)

She remained in custody for eight months before charges were filed and the case went to court.

(...)

Maria denied any involvement and dismemberment of her husband. Maria stated the following in an interview,(...) "What the prosecutor maintains is her own fantasy

(...)

and has nothing to do with what happened. I am innocent and have a clear conscience.

(...)

I am accused of murder, but I did not kill Gabriel."

(...)

During the legal proceedings, she showed no emotional response despite the intense suffering and strong feelings of the relatives.

(...)

Maria's behavior was noticeably strange. When her husband went missing, she attended school, cleaned the apartment meticulously, and did not contact the police, relatives, or anyone else to find out what happened to him.(...) Maria explained that she didn't contact the police because she was unable to speak Swedish.(...) She thought Gabriel might have been ill somewhere, which was why she decided to travel alone to Hungary to try and find him.(...) When she asked whether she had cleaned or cooked anything during Gabriel's disappearance, Maria responded that she had maintained the same routine as when she was home, continuing her activities after he had left.

(...)

Regarding the cleaning of the grate and floor drain, she was asked if she had specifically cleaned them or lifted the floor drain to clean it. She answered no.

(...)

Eventually the verdict was delivered. She was not guilty.(...) The district court acquitted Maria and just over eight months after her arrest in Hogdallen syndrome, she was free.

(...)

It was a traumatic experience for the entire family, filled with frustration and sorrow, as they, like many others involved in the case, were convinced that she was a true perpetrator. The district court's decision was appealed, and on February 4, 2000, Maria was re-arresting. In the appellate court, new witness testimonies were presented revealing that Maria's home country of Romania, it is common for a housewife to butcher a pig or a lamb after slaughter.

(...)

Forensic experts and legal advisors addressed this response in concluding that someone skilled in cooking and accustomed to such cultural practices could potentially handle the dismemberment of a human body as well. During the appellate hearing, the chief prosecutor reiterated the evidence previously presented in the district court and introduced new witnesses. This witness testified that Maria had learned how to butcher animals.

(...)

Additionally, DNA evidence was also present, which reinforced the prosecution's theory about the events in the bathroom and kitchen.

(...)

The prosecution requested further analysis of additional samples which yielded more results that supported the existed evidence.(...) During the initial interrogation, she stated she had been taking Swedish classes close to the area, close to the area where the body parts were found. On the final day of the trial,(...) Svea Court of Appeals delivered its verdict.

(...)

On March 29, 2000, Maria was convicted of murder regarding Gabriel.

(...)

Despite her denial of charges, she was sentenced to life imprisonment in order to be deported from Sweden after serving her sentence.

(...)

After serving four years in Swedish prison, Maria was deported to Romania to continue her sentence. However, in 2011, after a total of 11 years in custody, she was released.(...) In Sweden, she would have served at least 18 years, likely longer.

(...)

Reflecting on the case, it remains astonishing that someone like Maria could commit such a crime and be freed after 11 years. It underscores how little is known about the human capacity for crime and criminal behavior.

(...)

The case of Maria Kish remains unforgettable for many.

(...)

Let me make my point. Let me make my point. Let me make my point. Let me make my point.

(...)

So it is entirely possible. I'm not saying like it's impossible, but the way that they went about it in court, there's no way that would have stood up anywhere else. Like their case was so heavily relied on a story and then witness testimony because the DNA that they represented was stuff they already knew.

(...)

And it was just like, no, it's why would there be so much DNA in the kitchen? They just retold the story with more witnesses. I'm just like, that would have never held up in most places.(...) So like they were pressing hard and I don't know if she's guilty or not. I'm just saying based on what the stories are. I'm like, I don't know. Yeah, legally. I'm like, I don't know.

I mean, she was free the first trial. They were like, we don't have anything. So you're free.

They didn't really have anything the second time either. I just feel like at this time they

added a little bit extra and also the cultural differences and whatever.

(...)

But like, I feel like she's tricking you because like, if you didn't hear her side of the story, would you have felt the same? Right.

(...)

Yes. The quietness. No. Are you serious?

Actually, the reason I say that.

The super clean bathroom, the oven that has the hair and other random stuff in the oven hinges.

I guarantee you my oven has my hair in it. I guarantee you my oven has my hair. If it hasn't disintegrated by now, my oven has my hair in it.

I'm just saying that like the way was so much of it. And because everything else was so clean, wouldn't it be weird to not also be clean about the kitchen?

(...)

What if they were? The kitchen was clean though. I think she's tricking us. She's gaslighting us. And that's why I was like, I feel like she's gaslighting us. And the way she's like, Oh, I went over there to see if I can find him, bro. What?

(...)

I'm not going to lie. Like, all right. All right. Let me,(...) that's a good story though. I know. That's why I feel like she's gaslighting us. She was like, that's a good story. She was like, I feel like she's gaslighting us. Yeah. Cause he wanted to buy an apartment. He wanted to buy a apartment in Romania. And then he wanted to surprise me. So I was like, okay, that's why I didn't call the police. Then I figured something happened. So I went over there myself. Then she saw she was wanted, went back on her own free will and got arrested, didn't resist. And I'm just like, that makes her story so fucking credible.

And I was like, And that's why I was like, Oh my God, like it makes it so credible. But let me just point out a few, like, let me say what I think about the whole thing. So like she was having this like innocent vibe in general. Maria is a person where when you meet her, she's very friendly and a very ordinary woman. So like, so you guys understand like how she is where you meet her, like normally normal circumstances.

(...)

And there was like nothing unusual about her at all.

(...)

And like, she's, she's having like this whole like innocent act. And she's like, Oh, I'm not comfortable speaking Swedish. That's why I didn't contact the police officers or saying like, Oh yeah, I traveled because I was afraid something happened to him. That's why I went there. And I just feel like, even though the way she's explaining it and her demeanor, it makes sense. It's just not reasonable.(...) I don't think that's credible at all. Like, if you notice that you had heard nothing that for a week from your husband who went out like into another country, I just feel like, why didn't you like ask for help from Gabriel's kids or the daughter-in-law? Because they seem to be all up in the whole case. Why didn't you answer when they asked you? Where is get Gabriel? Why did you go to another country without discussing that with them at all? So it's like, I don't feel like, I feel like, I feel like there's stuff that is very weird about this case. And also her demeanor of like being very emotionless. I feel that that's also very weird.

(...)

You know, you know what it is. And I'm going to be honest with everyone right now, you know,

(...)

I'm biased because why this is, I am not encouraging this by any means. I am not supporting the crime.(...) I'm giving you a little bit of insight into my mind. So I am announcing this before I say this. So this is not me supporting the crime. This is just, you know, like when I say bias, when I hear and see things after I'll explain it and then you'll understand. So I'm a little biased because it was a really fucking good story. And then on top of that,

yeah, she, it was a good story. I was also swaying.

And then on top of that, they had no physical evidence.(...) No physical evidence. Like, yeah, there was like, oh yeah, she cleaned the bathroom so well. They couldn't pull anything. I was like, first of all, what did you use?

I'm not asking for real.(...) She went crazy. And when they asked about it too, they were like, yeah, I always cleaned this meticulously. Like, I always cleaned this well. What's her answer?

And there's nothing to prove that that wasn't the case.

(...)

So it's like, I agree that I was also swayed by her story. Yeah, I agree with you. I think like it's a reasonable,

(...)

like it sounds so natural and reasonable.

(...)

But when you really look at the small things, you can see that something is off.

(...)

I'm pretty sure like in the moment, I'll probably be like, all right, this is weird. I was like that clean? Nah, but the story is good. I'd have been in court like, damn, I don't know. That's like, that's a tough one.

I mean, I could tell you a little bit about like her mental health. They did a forensic like, psychiatric examination. I can never say that word.(...) And she didn't have any mental disorders at all. They couldn't find any motive or anything like

(...)

from either of the evidence or the court at all. The only thing that they could find was that Maria when she was like 10 years old, she had been hit by a motorcycle. And it resulted in a head injury and it caused her to become like having like quick, can quickly be angry or impulsive and have like traits of like triggers by a minor stuff that's like, not doesn't even matter.

(...) But let me, but let me interrupt you real quick. Let me, let me interrupt you real quick. You see, but that's kind of why I say this is her story checks out. It just kind of proves her even more because when she got arrested, she wasn't impulsive. Dismembering a body takes time and conviction.

And that's why I think it's not just a spur of the moment.

Mad like, it's not just a spur of the moment. Mad like, it's just like you have to sit there, cut it ligament by ligament and then get all the way through this. Not as like, I don't know. Like I would sit there thinking about that. Like to be impulsively mad, you can't sit there and chop a body. That's like pure conviction.

(...)

And that's why I think like, that's why I feel like she's almost like a psychopath.

(...)

But they didn't say anything about that. I know. If they did some like, so that's what I'm saying. There's no motive. No clear motives.

The way she's acting like normal, she's very innocent, but she's emotionless when like doing things. And I don't know, I just feel like maybe the accident did something. I don't know.

(...)

But I mean, I don't know. Because I'm pretty sure the forensic would have did like obviously examine the body to see if there was any bruising on the body. Because like she would have to kill him first before dismembering. And obviously, dang, I mean, this is what this is what you call a decent cover-up. The only thing prosecution was able to do was basically just try to create an intention story. But I'm like, in terms of on paper, she's clean.

(...) Yeah.(...) This actually was a theory of like,

(...)

why she like, why would she do this, basically.

(...)

And it was about the prosecutor, you know, thought that it was about money.(...) Because Maria was sending money secretly to her daughter in Timo's Timi Suara.

(...)

You know, despite, you know, what Gabriel thought about it, and they didn't, they weren't really rich.(...) So she was like sending money behind his back. And,

(...)

you know,

(...)

I get obviously he wasn't really happy about that.

(...)

And by thing also, I don't think they really talked about it. I don't know if he noticed it, or if they didn't, he did notice it, and then she killed him. But the prosecutor was saying that maybe that's a theory why she murdered him, because they were fighting about it.

It's possible. But I just know on paper, I'm like, dang, you know, this is, this is scary, meticulous. This is,

(...)

even for the time, I'm like, dang, that's, you know, this is, this is very interesting.

I honestly think that she just might have been very disappointed about(...) going to Stockholm and moving there. Maybe she was glorifying it so much. And then she was disappointed about like, that it was not as she thought it would be. And,(...) you know,

(...)

well,

you know, I mean, it's possible, but

she got freed after 11 years.

(...) Yeah, what a story. I'm not gonna lie.

(...) Yeah. But yeah, she swayed me too.(...) Like, before I heard her part of this story, I was like, yeah, definitely her. And then she was explaining everything. And she went back and everything. And I was like, wait a minute.

(...)

So I agree with you. It was, it's an interesting story indeed.

(...)

I wonder how you guys like, like, what do you think about it? Do you think she did it? Or do you think that she's innocent?(...) Because like,

yeah, you gotta tell us because,

because like, I will say, I think she did it. But I was wait. I was indeed.

(...)

I think a part of it, like, I'm, I'm sure, not I'm sure I'm actually not sure.

Yeah, you're not sure.

It's a decent chance. It's a decent chance she did it, but then did a damn good job of covering it.

(...)

Yeah.

(...)

Like I said, I'm not laughing at the concept of the victim. I'm just, just, this is more like a shocking kind of laugh. Like someone was highly intelligent and meticulous to do it this well that on paper,

(...)

because in theory, she could technically appeal this,(...) you know, because they had no real, like, nothing stuck for real. Even the second time around, they only got a conviction strictly off of what a jury trial of witnesses. Yeah. She can easily appeal that and then stand a really good chance.

Also, there were like similarities of the bags and everything. So like, I feel like

it could be a comp, but that's also to another whole, not a whole, but it's like, using a bag as the foundation of evidence. Where did you get this bag from? I'm just giving an example.

Um, she usually like, I just bought it. Yeah.

I just got it from the grocery store. All right. I went to the store and got it. And then I'm like, what are you going to do now? The bag is common or common enough that it's, so that's what I'm saying. It's a good, it's so good. She could have appealed.

She planned everything super well.

She had a decent chance to win an appeal.

(...)

That's scary intelligence. I think they should have measured her IQ.(...) And that probably would have given more detail about.

That's why I feel like there's some

(...)

like psychopathic tendencies there.(...) Cause, uh,

(...)

I feel like either she's like super manipulative and gaslighting everybody or I don't know, but I was laughing mostly because I feel like, okay, I'm not the only one who felt that way.

(...)

You know, like feel like she was, like, I, cause you believe that she was innocent and I'm like, nothing, no, nothing. Yeah. But that's why I was like, as well, I was like, okay, I'm, I'm glad that I was not the only one feeling that.(...) So yeah,

that's all I got to say though. Me too. I'm not encouraging it by the way. Once again, this is just one of the very few crimes where someone,

(...)

something gruesome like that. And then no trace hardly at all of any DNA evidence or anything actually tying them to the crime. So I find that actually very shocking. It's scary almost.

(...)

But I have nothing to say. No, let's, let's end this gruesome episode on a good note.(...) What are you hungry for?

(...)

Like always,

(...)

like I want a really nice seafood, like ramen, like a bunch of seafood on the ramen.

Like, yes. Yes. I secretly said it under my breath. Now he was going to say that. Yeah.

(...)

I have it on recording. I knew he was going to say that.(...) What?

(...)

I said, I knew he was going to say that. So I secretly said on the mic, I was like, she's starting to say something related to ramen or something like that.

Because I've been having that type of fixation. Okay. I've been having that super craving for ramen. It's autumn. It's soup of the year.

Autumn.

(...)

Autumn. Fall.

(...)

I look crazy. Do you think in particular?

(...)

Honestly, I'm not craving in particular.

I just want to speak in ice cream.

Okay.

Well, I can end this with my soup,(...) my ramen,

(...)

seafood ramen.

Well, well, your soup and secret ramen. And if you enjoyed today's podcast, be sure to go on whatever platform that you're listening to. Make sure to give us a nice little review.

(...)

And we shall see you next week.

(...)

Peace out.

Bye.