Six years ago, a 14-year-old girl was suspected of murder or alternatively killing another girl at a HVB home in Trollhättan.
“As far as I know, it was the first time that a girl under 15 was suspected of murder, but her guilt was never tested by a prosecutor in court,” says Rying, who has examined all murders in Sweden since 1990.
Since then, no similar event has occurred – until now. Last Friday, a 15-year-old girl was arrested on suspicion of the murder of a girl in Landskrona. Another girl under 15 is a suspect in the case, but she is not of legal age and therefore cannot be prosecuted.
— But it can still be investigated purely legally. If the prosecutor chooses to bring an evidentiary case, it will be the first time in Sweden that a girl under 15 is tried for murder.
READ MORE: Girl under 15 is suspected of the murder in Landskrona
First woman to be prosecuted
Bringing evidence can be compared to bringing charges against someone who has criminal authority. In that case, it will be a court process, with the difference that no punishment is handed out but a decision as a basis for social authorities.
That more young people are drawn into criminal environments is far from new. Nor that young women have started to figure in gang-related murder investigations.
— It’s becoming more common. This summer, a 20-year-old woman was charged for a shooting in Norrköping. It is the first time that a woman has been charged as the shooter for a gang-related shooting in Sweden, says Rying.
When it comes to homicides that are not gang-related, women have historically accounted for about ten percent. According to Rying, there is nothing to indicate that there would be more cases.
— It is extremely unusual. A large number have a psychiatric problem and poor impulse control. Here, women are no different from men. There may be drugs in the picture. They may have been cared for at a young age.
— If all the ingredients come together, it can result in deadly violence. However, the most common thing is that women do not become assertive. Instead, they may develop some form of self-injurious behavior.
READ MORE: The detained girl must undergo a mental examination
Described as outgoing
All three girls in the Landskrona case have a background of care, according to documents from various administrative courts in the country that TT has seen.
The two suspected girls have in batches been placed in HVB and Sis homes. The documents show that both girls have a lack of insight into their risky behaviour. They are described as assertive with a pronounced risk of ending up in conflict-filled situations.
The detained girl denies murder. In an email to TT, the legal assistant to the other girl writes that she is not in a position to comment on her client’s attitude.
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