Published: Just now
1 of 3 Photo: Johan Nilsson/TT
An entire town is shocked when two teachers are randomly attacked with an ax and knife.
The defendant has confessed to the murders at the Latin School in Malmö.
Now he may become the first 18-year-old to be sentenced to life imprisonment in Sweden.
When the school day ends on March 21, the 18-year-old locks himself in the school toilet with two knives, an ax and a hammer. He puts on a scarf, mask and ear muffs, then stands outside another toilet door. The female teacher who comes out of there is attacked first.
Another teacher who witnesses the attack is chased through the corridor before she too is attacked.
Not mentally ill
Both receive such severe injuries that they die. The murder at the Latin School leaves the whole of Malmö in severe shock and sadness. The 18-year-old has confessed to all the deeds and explains his actions by saying that he wanted to carry out a deed that was so terrible that everyone would afterwards distance themselves from him.
The 18-year-old was arrested later that night, and he has been in custody since March 23. Now the verdict is announced for the murders at the Latin School – and the young man risks life in prison.
According to the forensic psychiatric examination, the man was not affected by a serious mental disorder at the time of the crime. The Forensic Medicine Agency’s message to the Malmö District Court is that he was also not judged to suffer from a serious mental disorder when he was examined.
There are thus no conditions for handing him over to forensic psychiatric care, according to the Swedish Medicines Agency.
Claimed for life
Prosecutor Johanna Liljeblad has requested that the 18-year-old be sentenced to life imprisonment.
Previously, a defendant had to be 21 years old to be sentenced to life imprisonment, but at the turn of the year the limit was lowered to 18 years.
The amendment to the law provides continued scope for a fixed-term sentence in the event of mitigating circumstances, but the prosecutor has not considered that to be relevant in this case.
Tears in court
The defense has claimed during the trial that the 18-year-old – who has not objected to the description of the crime – committed the crime so that he would then feel compelled to take his own life or be killed by the police.
Lawyer Anders Elison has previously expressed that he believes the sentence should be 14-16 years in prison. This is because the court should take into account that the 18-year-old has certain psychological and social problems.
According to Elison, the young man had a hard time socially, felt lonely, was bullied and did not want to continue living. On the way into the courtroom, Elison also expressed that his client “couldn’t understand how it got like this”.
When the relatives of the murdered teachers told about their severe grief during the trial, the suspect leaned over the table and cried.
Malmö district court announces its verdict at 11 a.m. on Thursday.