Maja Hellmans will be released pending judgment, the Göta Court of Appeal announced on Thursday.
Jens Lapidus is not surprised.
– I think she will be acquitted of murder, but possibly convicted of breach of privacy, he says.
Maja Hellman was sentenced to life imprisonment for the murder of Tove – but appealed. She will now be released pending the verdict, Göta Court of Appeal announced on Thursday. The prosecutor’s evidence, which according to Maja’s lawyer only consisted of Johanna Jansson’s identification, is not enough.
– She has always claimed that she was asleep, but other information has come from the other woman. The main evidence actually consisted of the co-accused’s information. In Swedish law, we usually assign a rather low value to that, says Jens Lapidus.
The prosecutor has tried to bring in information about how Maja’s phone has registered movements in combination with sounds heard by the neighbor and a trip to McDonalds.
– The prosecutor has tried to call in this time, but it has turned out to be easier said than done. I think the Court of Appeal agreed that the time that the district court considered the murder to have taken place – no one thinks is correct anymore. This stirred things up quite a bit.
Get acquitted of murder
According to Lapidus, this most certainly means that the court considers that she should be acquitted of murder.
– Those of us who have followed this trial can conclude that it is really only about one thing: The prosecutor has not succeeded in gaining strength. This decision also means with 95 percent certainty that it is considered that she should be freed.
Lapidus says he is not surprised and that the main evidence regarding Maja’s involvement in the murder is lacking.
– It has always been “shaky” regarding Maja, he says of the main evidence against the 19-year-old.