They knew each other from before and according to the prosecutor, a conflict over joint business ventures can be suspected to be behind the murder. The younger man was found murdered in the 48-year-old's home. He was so badly beaten with a hammer that it took weeks before his identity could be established with certainty.
The court notes that about 20 blows were struck with the hammer and therefore the 48-year-old's claim that his intention was not to kill is not credible.
"Violence of this kind inevitably leads quickly to death and leaves no room for any alternative effect," writes the Lund District Court in its verdict.
The 48-year-old's objections that it was a case of self-defense are also dismissed by the court.
The man has stated that he was pressured for money and that he was afraid of what would happen when it was revealed that he had lied about having access to money from an inheritance. The court notes that the hammer blows were not delivered in response to an imminent criminal attack.
