Mackenzie Michalski (31) was found buried in a suitcase in a forested area outside of the Hungarian capital.
The 38-year-old, who has not been named, has been held in pre-trial detention since his arrest in November 2024.
Mackenzie Michalski (31), a nurse living in Portland, Oregon, was visiting the Hungarian city when she vanished from a nightclub on November 4th 2024.
Budapest’s Chief Prosecutor’s Office announced that they have charged the man and sought a prison sentence without the possibility of parole.
Mackenzie Michalski and inset, the Irish suspect leading police to her body
News in 90 Seconds – Tuesday, November 4
They allege the suspect, who arrived in the country less than a week before his arrest, met Michalski at a nightclub, before they went to his rented apartment for “intimate intercourse”.
During sex, the defendant is alleged to have tied up the victim before strangling her to death.
Prosecutors have further alleged that the following day, he purchased a large suitcase and transported her body in a rented car to a forested area 140km outside of the city.
According to police, the man recorded videos of the woman on his phone.
Mackenzie Michalski was reported missing on November 5 in Budapest
They also said that an examination of his internet search history showed he searched for information online about how “Budapest police handle missing persons cases”, whether “wild boars eat bodies in a forest” and the location of CCTV cameras in the capital.
The suspect was arrested on suspicion of murder after police reviewed CCTV footage of the area where she was last seen.
She last made contact with friends on the night of Monday, November 4th from a nightclub in Budapest and was reported missing the following day after she did not check out of her rented accommodation.
Mackenzie Michalski was killed last November
Police and his lawyer Gyorgy Magyar previously told the press that the Irish man admitted to killing Michalski, but said that it was accidental.
Following his arrest, the suspect travelled with police to show them the location of her body.
In an interview with the Sunday Independent last year, Mackenzie’s father, Bill, said he did not believe his daughter’s death was accidental.
“The main thing for us now is to be patient and allow the police to continue to carry out their investigation,” he said at the time.
“Everyone wants to know the details. We have faith in the police investigation, and they are keeping us updated.”
Her mother, Jill, added: “Our daughter was kind, compassionate, independent and adventurous. And she loved to laugh. People ask us how we are doing… all we can say is we are doing as well as we can be.”