A Budapest court has sentenced an Irish man to 14 years in prison for the murder of 31-year-old American tourist Mackenzie Elizabeth Michalski, whose death in the Hungarian capital in November 2024 gained international attention.
Court finds defendant guilty of homicide
The Budapest-Capital Regional Court found the 38-year-old defendant guilty of homicide and ordered that he serve his sentence in a high-security prison without the possibility of parole. The court also ruled that he will be expelled from Hungary for 10 years after completing his prison term.
However, the ruling is not yet final. The defendant and his lawyer have lodged a full appeal, while prosecutors requested additional time to consider whether they will also challenge the judgment.
Fatal encounter after meeting in Budapest nightlife district
According to the court, the Irish man met Michalski, a neurosurgical nurse from Portland who was visiting Budapest as a tourist, at a popular city-centre nightlife venue on 4 November 2024. The pair later went to the man’s rented apartment for consensual sexual activity.
The court concluded that the defendant assaulted the woman at least 40 times before strangling her for approximately two minutes, causing her death. It rejected the defence’s claim that the fatal injuries resulted from a consensual sexual practice gone wrong.
Judge Szabolcs Fehér said the evidence showed the defendant acted deliberately after the killing rather than in panic. CCTV footage showed him calmly leaving the apartment the following morning before returning with shopping bags. He later bought a large suitcase, concealed the victim’s body inside it, rented a car and transported it to a wooded area near Lake Balaton, where he attempted to hide it.
Defence argued accidental death
The defendant initially admitted responsibility during police questioning but claimed the death had been a tragic accident during intimate activity. At trial, he denied committing intentional homicide. His lawyer argued that all acts, including strangulation, had been requested by the victim as part of consensual sexual activity and sought to reopen the evidence, claiming more information was needed about the victim’s psychological profile and medical history.
As per 24.hu, the Budapest-Capital Regional Court rejected the request, stating it could not retrospectively conduct such examinations on a deceased person. In his final statement, the defendant again expressed remorse, insisting he never intended to kill Michalski.
Victim’s family sought the maximum punishment
Michalski’s mother delivered an emotional statement before sentencing, telling the court that her daughter “certainly did not consent” to what happened that night and urging judges to impose the harshest possible sentence.
While the court recognised the defendant’s previous clean criminal record, his initial confession and repeated expressions of regret as mitigating factors, it also noted the seriousness of the crime and its impact on Hungary’s international reputation.
The defendant will receive credit for the approximately 18 months already spent in pre-trial detention. His deportation from Hungary will take effect after he completes his prison sentence if the verdict becomes final following the appeals process.
The sentence is an unfunny joke. Even if it was an accident, his subsequent actions were evil. And Michaela never consented to being murdered.
Fourteen years for a beautiful, promising young life cut short so brutally. And then a ban on reentry of only ten years!
In any sane world, he would be hanging on gallows. But this, I guess, is what “progress” means.