On Friday, two women were charged with the murder of 21-year-old Tove in Vetlanda. For women to commit lethal violence is very unusual in general. That’s what Jenny Yourstone, PhD in psychology, who has researched the area, tells us. – What is unique in this case is that this type of deadly violence is more similar to men’s deadly violence, she says. According to the indictment, the women, who are 18 and 20 years old respectively, helped to strangle Tove and then transported her body to a wooded area where they tried to burn it. On the same day, the 20-year-old allegedly returned to the scene to pour flammable liquid on the body and set it on fire again. According to Jenny Yourstone, the case is very unusual. – It really stands out. It is also unusual to transport the body and to try to hide the crime – it is more common among men. It is also more common for men to target men when it comes to deadly violence, she says. Unclear motive When it comes to fatal violence among women, it usually involves women who have lived in long abusive relationships and who kill a partner or former partner, says Yourstone. In this case, the prosecutor has not found any clear motive, other than that Tove and the 20-year-old had a conflict-filled relationship. But when women murder women, there is usually jealousy in the picture, according to Jenny Yourstone. – We have both Christine Schürrer and Jonna Henriksson who killed a rival. “Impaired ability to empathize” In order to be able to carry out a crime like the murder of Tove, it is also necessary to have some form of calculating behavior and a “impaired ability to empathize”, according to Yourstone. – And maybe you also have an aggressiveness that you can’t handle. The 18-year-old woman denies murder, but admits she helped transport the body. The two-year-older woman also denies murder, but admits that she strangled Tove. Hear more from Jenny Yourstone in the player above.
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The expert: This is why Tove’s murder is unique – “resembles men’s deadly violence”
