The trial in Attunda District Court is in its second week as the suspected perpetrator is being questioned. He chews gum, talks quickly and shrugs his shoulders frequently.
He denies any wrongdoing - he claims he didn't shoot anyone and wasn't at the crime scene.
According to his own statement, he had gone to Uppsala to deal drugs. He does not want to reveal much more about the alleged dealings.
I don't want to delve into it, and you have to take that into account, he says.
He previously remained silent during all police interrogations. He explains his previous silence by saying that he then realized that he had “come into contact with people and clothes” that could be related to the murders.
"They come and take me and accuse me of taking the lives of three people. I went into shock," he says.
“Rest in peace”
When the prosecutor asks, one by one, if he murdered the three victims, he answers no each time.
I don't know any of them, I'm not from Uppsala, but may they rest in peace, he says.
Among the prosecution's evidence is a letter that the 21-year-old wrote to himself in which he promises to "do my best as a climber" and "run over everyone in my way" to raise one million kronor before June 16, 2025.
The 21-year-old claims he wrote the letter several years ago, inspired by the self-help book “Think and Grow Rich.” He denies that it was about committing murder.
“Party apartment”
He also denies any acquaintance with the co-defendants, despite the fact that they have all stayed in the apartment that is designated as the so-called printer's apartment - and despite the fact that DNA from both him and one of the co-defendants was found on the same cigarette butt. The apartment has been a "party apartment" where people have come and gone, he says.
He explains how his DNA and fingerprints ended up on the suspected shooter's clothes by saying that he had only tried on the clothes.
Three more young men are on trial for, among other things, aiding and abetting murder. They are said to have participated in planning the crime, placing an electric scooter and buying clothes for the perpetrator. One of them is charged with aggravated weapons offenses and aggravated protection of a criminal.
All co-defendants deny the charges, except the last-named, who admits that he received and kept two pistols after the crime, but he denies that he knew they were murder weapons.
At around 5pm on April 29 last year, police were called to reports of gunfire near Vaksala Square in Uppsala. Inside a barbershop, three people - two teenage boys, aged 15 and 16, and a 20-year-old man - were found shot to death.
The incident has been described as a pure execution. The victims were found huddled in a corner, shot in the head.
Two more people were shot outside the salon, but survived. According to reports to several media outlets, the intended target of the attack escaped unharmed.
The suspected shooter is a 21-year-old man, residing in another municipality. According to the prosecutor, he took on the murder mission for payment. No one who ordered it has been able to be prosecuted.
The 21-year-old is also charged with a shooting in Eslöv on April 15 last year, when two people suffered life-threatening injuries.
