New three-part documentary series The Copenhagen Killer centres around serial rapist and convicted murderer Marcel Hansen, also known as the Amager Man (named after the district in which he lived), who for years terrorised the people of Copenhagen while avoiding the authorities.
Although his crimes date as far back as 1987, he would live as a free man for decades, successfully leading a double life as both a family man and even a respected football coach.
Hansen was finally apprehended by Danish authorities in 2010, which would attract the attention of police investigator Sebastian Richelsen, whose initial interest in the case would eventually come full circle when tackling the subject head on in his later career as a journalist.
“It was easy for me to see how much these killings affected the whole city and the whole area. It’s like an open wound, because he still has a kind of a grip on the people here,” says Richelsen, talking to SBS about the series.
Sebastian Richelsen: “It’s like an open wound, because he still has a kind of a grip on the people here.” Credit: Viaplay
After a key piece of DNA was discovered at one of Hansen’s crime scenes, he would be successfully convicted by a jury of several crimes which included a robbery, two murders and the rapes of multiple women which took place over the course of 23 years.
But despite the fact he is currently serving a life sentence, there remains doubt over whether the true number of his victims is known. And it’s this lingering question that became the singular focus for Richelsen throughout his investigation.
“One of the darkest periods in the history of the Copenhagen police was between 1989 and 1998, where a number of murders of women took place, which are still unsolved today,” Richelsen explains. “And during that period, Marcel was enormously active. So wouldn’t it be obvious that he was behind one or more of these killings?”
With this as the primary motivator for making a new documentary series, Richelsen and his producing partner Celeste Pedersen would go on to interview more than 200 sources in their mission to see if more crimes appeared to tie back to Hansen.
The series talks to many who knew Hansen, including Flemming Jakobsen, a fellow coach. Credit: Viaplay
Their forensic approach uncovers surprising new facts about Hansen’s past relationships, his erratic behaviour as a troubled youth and, in some of the documentary’s more shocking scenes, the brutally efficient way in which he avoided leaving behind any trace of evidence at the scene of his many crimes.
But what truly sets the series apart from other true crime fare is its willingness to deal with the psychological aspects of the case, as Richelsen speaks to several experts who provide fascinating insights into Hansen’s psychopathic traits.
This angle of digging into their subjects’ psyche was of particular importance for Pedersen in her role as producer, as the pair tried to paint an accurate portrait of Hansen.
“I think it’s important to be aware that even the people that we think are totally normal and close to us are able to do this,” says Pedersen. “I still believe nobody is born evil. There’s a lot of reasons why we develop this dark side, and we should be aware of how we can avoid it.”
This same principle is what continues to drive Richelsen’s work on the case even after all these years, and he takes little solace in Hansen’s life sentence when there are still so many questions that need answering.
Richelsen hears from Jytte Larsen, who knew a woman murdered during the time Hansen was active, Anette Just Olesen. Larsen recalls the fear that followed the young woman’s death, which remains unsolved. Credit: Viaplay
It’s the kind of work he admits sometimes takes its toll, but it’s these moments of humanity in the face of pure evil which culminate in some of the documentary’s most powerful scenes.
“I think it was kind of hard for me to maintain objectivity because it was kind of a balancing act for me. When I, for example, talked to one of the rape victims, whose life Amager Man has totally destroyed, it was kind of hard for me not to hate him afterwards.”
It’s this honesty and integrity which makes The Copenhagen Killer such compelling viewing despite its tough subject matter.
It also further highlights the ultimate reason for Pedersen and Richelsen making their documentary in the first place – which is to encourage viewers not to fear, but rather to talk about Amager Man, in the hope that new information may come to light and lead to fresh breakthroughs in the case.
“I obviously always hope that new witnesses and new leads will turn up after watching this,” says Richelsen. “A lot of witnesses, they don’t think that their small knowledge is the thing that’s going to change anything. But a lot of times it is the very small things that can make a big change.”
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The Copenhagen Killer - episode 1
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