The first tier Harju County Court found Marek Madisoo guilty of 11 crimes in total, including the June 2024 murder of his cellmate, Sem Karlos Kolk

Kolk was a youtuber and influencer who had been imprisoned on drug-related offenses. Madisoo's other crimes were: Rape, repeat violent crime against a representative of authority, physical abuse, the handling of a prohibited firearm, various property crimes and driving under the influence of alcohol and without holding a drivers license.

An aggravating factor in the murder of Kolk were his hatred toward the victim and lack of remorse after the slaying.

On the contrary, Madisoo addressed a letter to the court stating that he would gladly kill again.

Harju County Court also weighed up the awarding of damages from Tallinn Prison in favor of the relatives of Kolk, who was 23 at the time of the murder.

Within the criminal proceedings, several civil claims seeking compensation for material damage had been submitted to the court, which the court satisfied in full. Two civil claims seeking non-material, i.e. moral, damage were submitted, which the court satisfied in part.

In respect of the victim's relatives, the court ordered the defendant and the civil defendant, namely the Republic of Estonia (via the Ministry of Justice and Digital Affairs), jointly and severally, to pay material damages in the amount of €3,121.71 and non-material damages of €22,000 to each awardee.

Additionally the defendant must pay a total of 18,857.92 euros into state coffers by way of procedural costs (including costs related to the handling of the civil claims in respect of the fee paid to the appointed defense counsel).

The court judgment has not entered into force and can be appealed filed at the Tallinn Circuit Court within 30 days.

Prison service staff at Tallinn Prison found Kolk's body on Jun 22, 2024, in a locked cell in the remand prisoners' living unit, where he had been incarcerated along with Madisoo since the start of June.

The Prison Service (Vanglateenistus) says it is reviewing the court decision and considering further steps, adding it will thoroughly review the arguments presented by the court and will make a decision regarding any potential appeal within the prescribed 30 days.

"We understand the tragic nature of what happened and deeply sympathize with the victim's loved ones. This incident has emotionally shaken both the public and our entire organization. The last killing in Estonian prisons took place more than 13 years ago. This demonstrates that in the case of the killing of Karlos Kolk, it was an exceptional event, not an example of flaws in the system and in procedural rules," head of the prison service Rait Kuuse said.

Estonia's prisons utilize all possible measures to ensure maximum security on their premises, but noted that the actions of a person with serious behavioral problems cannot always be precisely predicted and prevented.

"The perpetrator is culpable for the killing, and the court has also imposed punishment on them," Kuuse added.

Kuuse acknowledged that incidents taking place at night are among the most difficult events to prevent in prisons, as they take place in closed cells, often without prior warning signs and during periods when supervision cannot be carried out without entering the cell or remaining continuously at the door.

The head of the Prison Service noted that following this incident, the Ministry of Justice and Digital Affairs conducted a service supervision, which resulted in Tallinn Prison strengthening its work organization and supervision measures.

As of December 16, 1,628 people are serving sentences in Estonian prisons, of whom 389 are in pre-trial detention.

There are 895 detainees incarcerated in Tallinn Prison alone, of whom 200 are in pre-trial detention.

A total of 2,783 people are subject to probation supervision, with 105 are under electronic monitoring.

The other two main prisons in Estonia in addition to Tallinn are in Tartu and in Jõhvi (Viru Prison).

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