Irishman jailed for just 14 years after he murdered Oregon nurse during sex, before dumping her body in Hungarian woods in hopes of wild boars taking it

An Irish man has been sentenced to 14 years in prison for brutally murdering an American tourist during sex and dumping her body in the woods.

Mackenzie Elizabeth Michalski, 31, a nurse from Portland, Oregon, went missing in November 2024 while on vacation in Hungary.

The defendant, identified only by his initials (LTM) thanks to Hungarian anonymity laws, met Michalski at a nightclub in Budapest and then invited her to his home for sex.

He then tied her up, beat her, and strangled her, then tried to conceal the murder by hiding her body in his closet.

After killing Michalski, the man, then 37, cleaned out the apartment, placed her body in a newly purchased suitcase and drove it about 90 miles southwest in a rented car to Lake Balaton, where he hid it in a nearby forest.

The Budapest-Capital District Court found the man guilty of murder and sentenced him to 14 years in prison without parole on Wednesday.

‘The defendant did not attempt to resuscitate the deceased nor did he call for help; In its statement, the court stated that, according to the court’s findings, he meant the outcome of his action, namely the death of the victim.

The young woman’s autopsy revealed that she had been strangled for two to three minutes and also suffered blunt force trauma to her head. Michalski’s face was unrecognizable when she saw him, his mother told the court.

Michalski (far right) with parents Jill and Bill and brother Nikk

Michalski was in the elevator with LTM at his apartment after leaving the nightclub together – last seen alive

Police found disturbing video of Michalski’s naked and still bound body on the killer’s phone.

A ‘spy pen’ was also seized, containing more distorted evidence of his crime, as well as footage showing him approaching numerous women in Budapest.

Michalski was reported missing by friends on November 5, 2024, after he failed to check out of Airbnb and missed his flight back to the United States.

Hungarian police investigating his disappearance soon found security footage of him and LTM leaving the Szimpla Kert nightclub.

Investigators said his internet search history included questions such as whether pigs eat dead bodies, the presence of wild boars around Lake Balaton and the trustworthiness of Budapest police.

These include ‘Do pigs really eat dead bodies?’ There was also. and ‘Texas woman killed by wild boar’.

In other searches, ‘what does a corpse smell like after decomposition’ and ‘how to remove the smell of rotting meat’ were questioned.

LTM also asks ‘How reliable are the police in Budapest’ and ‘How do the police handle missing persons cases?’ He also researched the subject.

Michalski was reported missing by friends on November 5, 2024, after he failed to check out of Airbnb and missed his flight back to the United States.

Michalski traveled frequently and posted photos of herself around the world on social media.

LTM’s defense petitioned the court to exhume his body for testing and reopen his psychological and medical history, but this request was denied by the court

After his arrest in Budapest two days after the murder, he helped investigators find Michalski’s body, but insisted his death was accidental.

In the video released by the police at the time, LTM was seen in handcuffs leading the police to where the body was left in the suitcase.

Police dogs watched as hazmat suit experts placed signs in the killer’s direction.

Grass and leaf samples were also collected, along with evidence bags labeled ‘one’ and ‘two’, before being taken to the Irish police car.

LTM’s attorneys argued at his trial that Michalski’s injuries resulted from consensual rough sex and that he wanted Michalski to strangle him, which accidentally killed him.

His defense petitioned the court to exhume his body for testing and reopen his psychological and medical history, but this request was denied by the court.

“Everything I did, I did because Kenzie asked me to… I didn’t want to take her life,” he told the court during his trial.

György Magyar, one of LTM’s lawyers, likened Michalski’s death to a car that accidentally skidded on the road and hit a tree, killing its passenger.

Police shared photos of evidence collected, including this bag into which Michalski’s body was stuffed and later removed from the woods.

Police released photos of evidence collected during the investigation

Prosecutors trashed LTM’s ‘rough sex’ defense because Michalski suffered from an old neck injury and had never shown any interest in BDSM.

Michalski’s mother, Jill, speaking at Tuesday’s sentencing hearing, pleaded with the court to rule that Irishman “deserves the harshest sentence allowed by law” for the “heinous crime” he committed.

‘We’ll never get to enjoy our only daughter’s birthday again,’ she said.

‘Since she was a child, Mackenzie had dreamed of her wedding day and starting a family with her future husband. But he’ll never get to experience that now.’

While Jill raged against Hungarian laws protecting LTM’s identity, she managed to ‘smear’ her victim’s name in her defence.

LTM will be returned to Ireland after completing his sentence in 2038.

The defense has already appealed the verdict and sentence.

Michalski dated Kenton Reichen in Portland for six years before his death, but they broke up then and she backed out of going on the European trip.

Reichen wrote on social media that he blamed himself for her death and promised to “make up for it one day.”

‘I will miss you. I fell in love with you while watching the sunset in Ibiza, carrying you with your broken wrist. You were everything I needed in life. ‘I’m sorry to disappoint you,’ he wrote.

Michalski had been with Kenton Reichen (they were photographed together on a previous trip to Budapest) in Portland for six years before he died, but they had taken a break by then and she had given up on going on the European trip.

Reichen wrote on social media that he blamed himself for her death and promised to “make up for it one day.”

A memorial service for Michalski was held two days after his killer was arrested, outside the city where Michalski grew up and his parents still live.

Photos of Michalski and his friends and family were displayed at the candlelight vigil

‘It was perfect but I neglected it in so many ways. This makes me so sad and I wish I could protect him.

‘Kenzie did not deserve to be beaten, raped and killed so brutally. I wish I could save him from this situation. This will forever remain the biggest mistake of my life.’

Kenton flew to Budapest after hearing of her disappearance and helped Michalski’s parents search for her until the killer confessed.

Following LTM’s arrest, Michalski’s family said, ‘Kenzie will forever be remembered as a beautiful and caring young woman who dedicated herself to caring for others and making the world a better place.’

‘As a nurse practitioner, Kenzie used her humor, positivity and boundless empathy to heal her patients and encourage her family and friends.’