An Irish man who strangled an American nurse during a trip to Hungary in 2024 has been sentenced to over 12 years in prison for the murder.
The killer, known only as LTM, was convicted of murdering Mackenzie “Kenzie” Michalski from Fredonia, New York, during an “intimate encounter” in Budapest on November 5, 2024.
The Budapest Metropolitan Court originally sentenced him to 14 years but reduced the time by one and a half years because of his pre-trial detention.
Additionally, he was ordered to cover court costs totaling $7,995.
Michalski, who resided in Portland, Oregon, was in Budapest enjoying her “happy place” after traveling through Europe with friends.
She was set to return home the following day after meeting the 37-year-old Irish man at a nightclub.
They danced and later went back to his rented apartment.
Authorities reported that Michalski was strangled and bludgeoned during the encounter.
LTM confessed to the killing but maintained that it was an accident.
In the days following Michalski’s murder and before his arrest, LTM engaged in disturbing online searches, including inquiries about disposing of a body and whether pigs really eat carcasses.
After placing Michalski’s body in a closet, he transferred her to a suitcase he had just bought and drove to a location 90 miles from Budapest.
He discarded her body in a wooded area near Sigliget.
Gretchen Tower, a friend traveling with Michalski, reported her missing when Michalski failed to respond to calls, missed her Airbnb checkout on November 6, and did not board her flight back to the U.S.
Police initiated a missing persons investigation and discovered various videos showing Michalski with LTM at different nightclubs on the night of her disappearance.
LTM was identified as the unknown man and was taken into custody on November 7, just two days after Michalski’s death.
His legal team has since appealed the verdict.
