It was an evening in September last year when the 80-year-old man was assaulted in Hässelby in northwestern Stockholm.
He was on his way home after visiting his wife at a dementia care facility when he suddenly received three quick knife stabs in the back. Despite a punctured lung and severe pain, the man, who uses a walker, managed to get home and call his daughter.
Shortly thereafter, the police picked up the then 14-year-old boy for questioning.
He had uploaded a film from the incident on the messaging service Telegram, where he called himself "Slain764". He had also tried to spread the film via the online forum Flashback.
A Net Sect
In his computers, chats and search history were found that linked him to the crime. Connections to the net sect "764" and its related branch "No lives matter" (NLM) and its Swedish branch were also found, which he also told about during the interrogation.
The movement, which originated in the USA, draws inspiration from Nazism and Satanism and operates close to the gaming environment and spreads through chat groups on platforms like Discord.
Solna District Court has now ruled that the boy is guilty of attempted murder after a so-called bevistalan. Since he was under 15 years old, he cannot be convicted of a crime, but he will have to pay damages of over 250,000 kronor to the man.
The boy had previously confessed to a similar knife attack on a 50-year-old woman in the same area, but that incident was not covered by the bevistalan.
Cool to Kill
The boy also confessed to the attack in Hässelby and said that he felt pressured by others in the 764 group to commit the knife attack. He said that the victims were randomly selected.
"At first, it was something bad to kill someone, then it became something 'edgy' and cool. He saw what the others did, it had a great influence and then he did things he regrets", the boy said according to Solna District Court's ruling.
During the trial in the district court, he withdrew his confession, but the court believes he is over-proven. They are relying on, among other things, the earlier detailed confession, the video clip from the incident, and his search and chat history.
"After weighing the circumstances and interrogation data, the court has found it fully proven that the boy committed the crime", says Judge Elin Tysklind in a comment.
Earlier in April, a bevistalan was brought against another 14-year-old boy for a knife attack in Borås linked to the same grouping.
The self-proclaimed internet sect 764 was founded by an American teenager in 2020 and got its name from his postal address in Stephenville, Texas.
The founder is currently serving an 80-year prison sentence for child pornography offenses.
Young boys and men in several countries have, in the name of the movement, among other things, groomed, exploited, and blackmailed children sexually, committed several unprovoked knife attacks, and at least one murder. At least 50 chat groups have been or are active on platforms like Discord and Telegram, but members have hunted victims on everything from Minecraft and Roblox to forums for people with eating disorders and self-harm.
In the USA, the UK, Sweden, and Germany, identified 764 members have been sentenced to prison for murder, terrorist offenses, and sexual abuse of children.
A boy under 15 years old has confessed to two knife attacks on a woman and an elderly man in the Stockholm suburb of Hässelby last September. Another boy with ties to the network has confessed to stabbing a 55-year-old woman in Borås with a knife at the beginning of the year.
A boy in Umeå was sentenced in April 2024 to seven months of youth supervision after getting a 13-year-old to cut themselves and perform sexual acts. The boys in Hässelby and Umeå are said to have had leading roles in the Swedish branch of the movement and the subgroup NLM (No lives matter).
Source: SVT, Washington Post, Folkbladet, Borås Tidning, Wired.
A child under 15 years old who is suspected of a serious crime cannot be arrested, detained, or prosecuted. Instead, it is through a so-called bevistalan that the possible guilt can be established.
The court will then take a stance on whether the young person has committed the crime or not, but will not impose a sentence.
Since a law change in 2023 – which means that prosecutors are responsible for bringing a bevistalan – the number of cases with bevistalan has increased.
Source: The Prosecutor's Office.
