The last day of the trial for the murder of Ismail Abdo’s mother

On Monday, it was the last day of the trial for the murder of gang leader Ismail Abdo’s mother.

A 15-year-old and a 20-year-old are charged with the murder and the relatives hope that they will be sentenced to long sentences.

– Because what kind of signals does it send to society if the 15-year-old receives youth care? If you can commit a crime as an adult then you must be sentenced as an adult as well, they say to Aftonbladet.

She was just a mother. That’s what it says on the back of the black shirts the relatives wear.

For almost a month, the trial for the murder of gang leader Ismail Abdo’s mother, who was shot to death on September 6 in Uppsala, has been ongoing.

Every single day of the trial, the family has been there and worn the black shirts to honor the mother.

– That she was just a mother is actually the prosecutor’s words from the beginning. And it’s so true. She was not a criminal, she was innocent, relatives tell Aftonbladet.

Prosecutor Erik Grönvall has requested life imprisonment for the 20-year-old suspected of murder and that he be deported.

He also believes that the 15-year-old is guilty of life imprisonment. But because of his young age, the prosecutor is asking for six years in prison, alternatively four years in closed youth care.

– They show no remorse, we think. That the 20-year-old laughed and danced during the trial is provocative. We agree with the prosecutor and hope that the judge is fair, say the relatives.

On Monday, it was the last day of the trial and time for the defenders to make their closing arguments.

The 15-year-old’s lawyer: Acquitted of all charges

The 15-year-old’s defense lawyer wants his client to be acquitted of all charges.

He believes that the 15-year-old did not know what kind of mission he was on and that he thought the gun was a soft airgun. The fact that his fingerprints are found on the guns, the lawyer believes, is due to the 15-year-old’s curiosity.

– He is as curious as any 15-year-old. What he has done is finger a little bit on something he thought was a soft airgun.

The defense lawyer also believes that the 15-year-old was scared and insists that he is a child.

“Is a circumstantial case”

Viktor Isero, the 20-year-old’s lawyer, says his client admits to serious weapons offences, but wants him acquitted of the remaining charges.

A large part of the 20-year-old’s defense is about shifting the responsibility to the 15-year-old.

The verdict will be announced in mid-April. But the relatives fear that the sentences will be lenient despite good evidence.

Above all, they are afraid that the 15-year-old will be released completely or receive youth care.

– What kind of signals does it send to society if he receives youth care? It will only continue with young people getting assassination assignments. If you can commit a crime as an adult then you must be sentenced as an adult as well, they say.

The family: We’ve had hell

They say that the trial has been incredibly stressful for the whole family.

– We’ve had hell. The whole family has been classified as a criminal family. That’s not true. We have not been able to feel safe in our own home, says one of the mother’s daughters.

Another of the mother’s daughters says a fair conviction will ease their suffering a little, even if it won’t take away the grief for their mother.

– Our mother is gone and is not coming back. It is a sadness that cannot be described. We loved our mother and she was loved by everyone she knew. She was an innocent woman they killed.

The daughters describe that Sweden has previously been a safe country for them, but that in connection with the murder of their mother, that has changed. They hope that the murder of their mother will lead to changed laws in Sweden.

– We must have stricter punishments, even for those who are young if they commit murder and carry weapons.