The trial in the high-profile bag murder started on Wednesday in Nacka district court.
Ako Hameed Abba’s body was found in bags that had been pushed down in a bag that was dumped in a wooded area along a road on Värmdö outside Stockholm at the beginning of March last year.
The 37-year-old had then been missing for several days. His ex-wife Anki was the one who reported him missing. She used to be in daily contact with Ako, but during the week in question was unable to get hold of him.
– Which was strange. He always answered when you texted. In the evening I sent a text asking why he hadn’t replied, to which I got no reply. In the morning, his brother calls me and is completely upset and says that Ako is gone. He says Ako has not had internet for 42 hours. I understood then that something had happened, says Anki.
“He meant so much”
The ex-wife started looking for Ako. She checked if his car was in the parking lot, both at his apartment and at the hospital. But there was no trace of him.
– There were a lot of thoughts swirling around. I hardly remember. You were scared and felt that something had happened, she says.
Anki called around to various people and got hold of her ex-husband’s friends, who told her that on the day he disappeared, Ako was going to meet a now 25-year-old woman with whom he had a relationship. Anki contacted the police, who also began a search.
The next day she received the death notice.
– They called and said that unfortunately he is the person they had found in the bag at Värmdö. It felt like my life was over. He meant so much to both me and the family. It felt like I never wanted to leave my apartment. Now I stay here. There is nothing worthwhile out there anymore.
Motive of honor – tricked into an apartment
The 25-year-old woman and her partner’s 20-year-old brother were charged last week with murder and grave breach of public order. The woman’s 26-year-old brother was charged with aggravated protection of a criminal. Her 24-year-old partner is on the run and internationally wanted.
The woman had reported Ako for rape the month before the bag murder, something he was never charged with. The police suspect that the woman’s family found the relationship unacceptable and that this was the motive for Ako’s later murder.
– We believe that there is an honorable motive behind the deed, says prosecutor Björn Heidebrandt.
According to the police investigation, Ako was tricked into the woman’s apartment in Nacka. There he was badly beaten and a knife cut his throat. The body was then moved to the bag and later dumped in the forest lot.
Anki describes it as a big void after Ako.
– He has been in our family since 2011. The grandchildren know nothing more than that he has been there. He was always there when we celebrated birthdays, at Christmas or when someone moved, he was there to help. We were very close. He meant a lot. It is hard for the children. We miss him very much.
– It is difficult to understand. It’s almost been a year, but it feels like it could have been yesterday that he disappeared
The trial is expected to last until the end of January.