Naman Shrestha
Netflix’s ‘A Friend, A Murderer’ is a Danish true crime documentary series that chronicles the tragic murder of a 17-year-old girl that baffled a rural community of Denmark for several years, until the perpetrator, Philip Patrick Westh, was apprehended several years later. While his arrest meant relief to the community, it was shocking for his three friends, Amanda, Nichlas, and Kiri. The three friends began reevaluating their friendship with Philip, who had committed multiple assaults, kidnappings, and a murder, while hanging out with them as if nothing had happened. The documentary features the three friends who provided detailed insight into Philip’s life.
Philip Patrick Westh Was Responsible For Crimes Against Three Young Girls in Denmark
Born in the early 1990s in Denmark, Philip Patrick Westh was seemingly raised in coastal Danish towns. While attending high school, he met Nichlas, with whom he founded the Higher Commercial Examination Program. Their friendship continued even after their graduation, as the two friends hung out every now and then alongside a few others. However, it later turned out that Philip led a double life. In the early hours of July 10, 2016, he reportedly abducted a 17-year-old girl named Emilie Anine Skovgaard Meng near Korsør Station and took her to an unknown location, where the prosecutors alleged he asphyxiated her by covering her nose and mouth with packing tape. According to records, prosecutors stated that Philip then disposed of her remains in a lake in Regnemark Hill in Borup.
Several months of investigation later, her remains were found on December 24, 2016, and were identified the following day. The next reported incident that he was involved in was related to a 15-year-old girl who was attacked in Sorø in the first week of November 2022. The teenager managed to escape. A few months later, Philip reportedly kidnapped a 13-year-old girl on April 15, 2023, while she was delivering newspapers in Kirkerup and held her hostage in his house in Svenstrup. Not long after, the investigation linked him to the crime. Thus, the detectives arrived at his home in the afternoon of April 16. When he didn’t open the door, they forced themselves into the property and arrested him on the kitchen floor.
Meanwhile, the teenage hostage was untied and rescued. He was put behind bars at the high-security ward of Storstrøm Prison for kidnapping the 13-year-old girl. As the investigators dug deeper into his life and past, they also connected him to the crimes against Emilie Meng and the 15-year-old. Thus, he was further charged with kidnapping, rape, and murder of Emilie and the attempted imprisonment and rape of the 15-year-old student from Sorø Gymnastikefterskole. During his arrest, police records indicate they found a series of items in his residence, including a gag ball, a bat with spikes, a whip, zip ties, rubber sheets, diapers, and more. According to investigators, his computer contained child pornography with over 3,500 images and 500 videos. As a result, he was also charged with the possession of child pornography.
Philip Patrick Westh is Currently Incarcerated at a Prison Facility in Denmark
About a year after Philip Patrick Westh’s arrest, his trial began. On the first day, he pleaded guilty to the kidnapping and rape of the 13-year-old girl and child pornography. However, he pleaded not guilty to the remaining charges. In June 2024, he stood trial for the remaining charges. On June 28, he was found guilty of the murder, attempted rape, and prolonged imprisonment of Emilie Meng, as well as the attempted kidnapping and rape of the 15-year-old girl in Sorø. He was also convicted of attempted murder in the case of the 13-year-old girl and other crimes, including intentional hit-and-run, unlawful coercion, aggravated assault, possession of child pornography, and more.
That same day, Philip was sentenced to life in prison for his crimes. Not long after his sentencing, he announced through his defense counsel that he intended to appeal his conviction and sentencing. With his appeal proceedings scheduled to begin on October 28, 2025, Philip withdrew his appeal and accepted the verdict in September 2025. In December 2025, his home on Svalevej in Svenstrup was reportedly seized by the authorities to secure financial resources for legal costs. As of today, the killer, who is in his 30s, is serving his life imprisonment sentence at a Danish prison facility.
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