Kim Wall's Accused Killer Peter Madsen Showed Psychopathic Traits, Exam Finds

 The Danish inventor accused of dismembering and murdering Swedish journalist Kim Walls showed psychopathic traits, and had no remorse for cutting up her body, a psychiatric assessment found.

 Peter Madsen, 47, is on trial in Copenhagen for the murder of Kim, who took a ride with him for a story last August on a Nautilus submarine he built. He has pleaded not guilty, claiming Wall's death was an accident, but admitted to dismembering her body and burying it at sea.

 Prosecutors last Thursday read aloud excerpts from Madsen’s psychiatric assessment conducted after Wall’s body was found.

 He showed no emotion when explaining why he removed Wall's head, legs and arms.

 “What do you do when you have a big problem? You divide it into something smaller,” Peter Madsen told psychiatrists, according to excerpts cited by The Guardian. Madsen also reportedly said that “a dead body does not deserve any special respect.”

 The psychiatrists determined Madsen exhibited “a severe lack of empathy and remorse” and “narcissistic and psychopathic traits,” which make him a danger to others.

Kim Wall.

The above photograph shows Wall departing on Madsen’s submarine. It is one of the last images of her before her death.

Madsen has changed his story about Wall's death several times. He initially told authorities he had dropped her off on the coast, but later said she had died in an accident abroad his ship. Her torso was found August 21, tied to a large piece of metal to help it sink.  In court, Madsen claimed he changed his story because he wanted to spare Wall’s family from hearing the gory details, according to BBC News.

Wall had written for various publications including The New York Times and The Guardian, and she planned to pitch her Madsen story to Wired magazine. She disappeared days before she and her boyfriend would have moved to Beijing.

[Photos: Getty Images]