Video of the arrest of an Irishman

Police in Budapest, Hungary, have shared footage of the arrest of an Irish man who confessed to killing 31-year-old American tourist Mackenzie “Kenzie” Michalski.

In the footage – which is age-restricted on YouTube – the Irishman is photographed, fingerprinted and chained before leading police to where he dumped his victim’s body. His face is blurred throughout the video.

The only identifying information police have shared about the confessed killer is that he is Irish, 37 years old, and his initials are LTM.

The images may disturb some viewers:

Budapest police confirmed last week that they were searching for a 31-year-old American woman who disappeared from a nightclub in the city on November 5.

As part of the search, investigators obtained all available video surveillance footage from the area and ultimately determined that the Irishman was with Kenzie at several nightclubs.

“Suspicious circumstances” led investigators to believe Kenzie was the victim of a crime, police said.

The Irishman was arrested at his rental apartment on November 7. After his arrest, more evidence was found that police said raised suspicion of murder, prompting the homicide division to open an investigation.

Investigators determined that Kenzie arrived in Hungary as a tourist. She met an Irish man at a nightclub and later visited another nightclub with him.

Police said she then decided to accompany him to his rented apartment in the city’s 7th district. They became intimate and he “killed her in the process,” police said.

Police said the man tried to cover up the killing. He cleaned his apartment and hid Kenzie’s body in a closet while he went out to buy a suitcase. He then put Michalski’s body in the suitcase, rented a car and drove to Lake Balaton with the suitcase in the trunk.

Police shared photos, one of which showed a purse next to a bank card with Kenzie’s name on it.

Police said the man hid Kenzie’s body in the woods outside Szigliget and then returned to Budapest, where he was eventually arrested.

Homicide Division investigators questioned the 37-year-old Irish citizen with the initials LTM as a murder suspect.

He confessed to killing Kenzie, but claimed it was an accident.

After his interrogation, the suspect also showed detectives where he had hidden Kenzie’s body. He was taken into custody and his arrest was initiated.

The investigation also revealed that after the murder, the 37-year-old man searched the internet for the phrases “Do pigs really eat corpses?” Coastal towns of Balaton”, “What does the smell of a corpse after decomposition”, “Getting rid of the smell of rotten meat”, Budapest webcams”, “What is happening after a person goes missing”, “How do the police handle missing persons”, “How reliable are the Budapest police?”

On Monday, the Associated Foreign Press reported that the Budapest court said: “At present, it is not possible to establish exactly how the victim was killed and this is the subject of investigation in progress.”

Originally from upstate New York, Kenzie most recently lived in Portland, Oregon, where she worked as a nurse practitioner at Providence St. Vincent Medical Center.

In a statement shared on social media on November 8, Kenzie’s family and friends expressed their “deep and sincere gratitude to the American and Hungarian authorities and local police for their prompt attention, diligence, care and consideration “.

The statement continues: “Kenzie will forever be remembered as a beautiful and compassionate young woman who dedicated herself to caring for others and making the world a better place. As a nurse practitioner, Kenzie used her humor, her boundless positivity and empathy to help heal his patients and encourage his family and friends.

“We are grateful that Kenzie’s soul is now at peace. Her memory and legacy will live on in the hearts of all she touched. To understand Kenzie’s spirit is to wholeheartedly embrace the vast joy and the wonders of life. Her wish for the world: Fully embrace the present moment, be your authentic self, practice kindness, and always walk in the light.

“Thank you for all of your support and continued prayers. During this difficult time, we ask that you respect the privacy of Kenzie’s family and friends, all of whom remain grateful for your love and concern.”

At a candlelight vigil for his daughter in Budapest on Saturday evening, Bill Michalski told the Associated Press that he was “still overcome with emotion” over his daughter’s death.

“There was no reason for this to happen,” he said. “I’m still trying to understand what happened…I don’t know if I ever will.”

A GoFundMe to help the family bring Kenzie home has raised more than $42,000 as of Tuesday afternoon.