Prosecutor Andreas Nyberg.
It was on the night of February 12 and 13 of this year that a man in his 30s fell victim to a deadly act of violence in his own residence. The perpetrators, masked and armed with knives, inflicted fatal injuries on the man, leading to his death.
The individuals facing charges in this case include a 50-year-old man, a 40-year-old woman, a 20-year-old man, and a male teenager in his late teens (who was under 18 years of age at the time of the incident).
All of them are now being charged with murder, accused of acting together and with mutual consent to cause the man's death.
Additionally, one of the accused individuals faces an additional charge of incitement to murder and aggravated shielding of a criminal, while another is also charged with aggravated shielding of a criminal.
–In my view, the preliminary investigation reveals a strong motive, says prosecutor Andreas Nyberg in the press release.
Nyberg has previously described the four individuals as being part of a "family constellation." The charges brought against them mark a unique occurrence in the criminal history of the Skelleftebygden region: never before in modern times have four individuals been charged with involvement in a murder.
During the questioning, the 50-year-old, 40-year-old, and 20-year-old individuals have consistently denied any wrongdoing. The teenage boy, who voluntarily turned himself in to the police, has admitted to severe assault but denies the charge of murder. His lawyer, Fredrik Elveros, made the following statement earlier on Friday:
– My client was not a suspect before April 28th when he himself called and reported to the police. The reason for this was that he couldn't bear the fact that other innocent individuals were in custody for the incident. He has consistently maintained that it was him and another person who carried out the act. Since reporting to the police, he has always admitted to severe assault based on his actual actions during the course of events and his intentions.
Fredrik Elveros is the lawyer for the boy in his early teens who has admitted serious assault, but denied murder.
The trial is expected to commence on Monday, June 19 at Skellefteå District Court.
Update 12:22:
According to prosecutor Andreas Nyberg, three of the accused individuals - the 40-year-old woman, the 20-year-old man, and the teenage boy - subjected the victim to lethal violence by "repeatedly stabbing, thrusting, and cutting him with knives."
The victim is said to have been stabbed 20 times.
– My claim is that he sustained 20 significant, sharp-edged wounds, says Nyberg.
The indictment also states that the victim was subjected to blunt force trauma and died as a result of bleeding.
The 50-year-old individual is also charged with murder, although Nyberg acknowledges that there is no evidence proving his presence inside the residence where the alleged murder occurred.
According to Nyberg, the man accompanied the others to the crime scene in a car. His presence is believed to have "strengthened" the intentions of the others. Earlier during the same weekend as the suspected murder, the 50-year-old individual allegedly expressed a desire to kill the victim.
– I argue that the man has stated that he wanted to kill the victim. He has also expressed a desire to see him dead.
If the 50-year-old individual is not convicted of murder, Nyberg suggests that he should be convicted of incitement to murder and aggravated shielding of a criminal. Similarly, an alternative charge of aggravated shielding of a criminal applies to the woman.
Among the key evidence is a knife found at the crime scene.
– The knife was found to have DNA from the victim and two of the suspects, explains Nyberg.
Nyberg suggests that it was likely an oversight that the knife was left behind at the crime scene.