Boyfriend of The Traitors contestant charged with his murder

10 March 2025, 12:28

A boyfriend of a star from The Traitors has been charged with murder and planned it out for weeks, prosecutors claim.

Jaane Puhakka, 29, the country’s first openly gay ice hockey player and contestant on The Traitors in Finland, was killed on 13 October 2024 after he was shot by his partner, 66, Rolf Nordmo.

Nordmo has verb formally charged with murder and is expected to serve a life sentence, which is usually less than 15 years behind bars according Finnish publication YLE.

He planned to shoot his ex-boyfriend with a hunting shotgun for two weeks, prosecutors believe.

Nordmo shot Puhakka twice in the chest in their home in Hentta, Espoo. His family found his body in the apartment, after he failed to respond to their calls and messages.

Nordmo acknowledged his role in Puhakka's death, during the preliminary investigation, but denies committing murder.

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The Traitors Finland has postponed the airing of its series finale in October 2024 after Puhakka, a contestant, was murdered.

A translated statement about the postponement from TV channel Nelonen read: “The final episode of the season of Petolliset was scheduled to be shown on Thursday of this week.

“We have come to the conclusion that right now is not the right time to air an episode. We will return to the question of the possible presentation of the episode later. We share in the grief of Janne’s loved ones.”

The popular TV show sees contestants take on several tasks in a bid to win a £120,000 prize, as ‘Traitors’ attempt to eliminate ‘the Faithful’ to take the entire prize fund for themselves.

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The TV contestant, a former player for Espoo Blues and Espoo United, made headlines in 2019 when he became the country’s first ice-hockey player to come out as gay.

Janne and Rolf discussed their relationship in the Mirror in 2022, with the ice-hockey player saying he kept his relationship private because he was “scared of the way I would be perceived in the ultra-masculine sporting world”.

A tribute was paid to the late athlete by Liiga, Finland’s top ice hockey league, who described him on social media as “an important role model” and said his “courage and openness left an indelible mark on Finnish hockey”.

Finnish ice hockey expert Topi Nättinen told local media: “The first thing that comes to mind about Janne is a role model. His courage opened new doors socially, not only in Finland, but also globally.

“[He] was an exceptional person both in the hockey community and the entire sports world. He was so brave. It may not even be understood how great a role model he has been for many.”

Sanna Marin, the former Finnish Prime Minister, took to Instagram to share an image of the former ice hockey player with a broken love heart emoji.