Irish Citizen Sentenced to 14 Years for Murder of American Tourist in Hungary

An Irish citizen, identified by initials L.T.M., has been convicted and sentenced to 14 years in prison for the murder of American tourist Mackenzie Michalski from Portland, Oregon. According to multiple reports, the incident occurred during Michalski's vacation in Hungary in November 2024.

The victim, who went by 'Kenzie,' was last seen at a nightclub in central Budapest on Nov. 5, 2024. Police launched a missing person investigation and reviewed security footage from local nightclubs where they observed Michalski with the suspect in several of the clubs the night of her disappearance.

The suspect was detained on Nov. 7 and later confessed to killing Michalski during an 'intimate encounter' at his rented apartment. The Budapest Metropolitan Court found the man guilty of murder and sentenced him to 14 years imprisonment without the possibility of parole, as reported by CBS News, PBS, and Los Angeles Times. The approximately one and a half years he has already spent in detention will count toward his sentence. Additionally, the court ordered his deportation from Hungary after serving his sentence.

The suspect must also pay 2.5 million forints ($7,995) in court costs. His attorney has appealed the verdict. After his arrest, the man claimed Michalski's death had been an accident, but police said he attempted to cover up his crime by cleaning the apartment and hiding her body before disposing of it near Lake Balaton.

According to DailyMail, the suspect invited Michalski to his apartment for sex after meeting her in a Budapest nightclub. He then tied her up, bashed, and strangled her before attempting to conceal the murder by hiding her body in his closet. The man cleaned the apartment, stuffed her body into a freshly bought suitcase, and drove it about 90 miles southwest to Lake Balaton where he hid it in nearby woods.

The Budapest-Capital Regional Court found the man guilty of murder, stating that 'The defendant did not attempt to resuscitate the deceased, nor did he call for help; according to the court's findings, he intended the outcome of his actions, that is, the victim's death.' The young woman's autopsy found she was choked for two to three minutes and also suffered blunt force trauma to her head. Her mother told the court that Michalski's face was unrecognizable when she saw it.

Police found disturbing video of Michalski's body, naked and still tied up, on her killer's phone. They also seized a 'spy pen' he owned that had footage of him approaching numerous women in Budapest. Investigators said his internet search history included queries on whether pigs eat dead bodies, the presence of wild boars around Lake Balaton, and the reliability of Budapest police.