Verdict Looms in Skärholmen Murder Case: What Will the Court Decide?

The origin of the murder early on Monday evening, April 10, last year, is believed to be some form of confrontation between 39-year-old Mikael and three youths, including the 18-year-old accused, in a pedestrian tunnel in Skärholmen in southern Stockholm.

What we know is that one of the three says something when Mikael and his son cycle by. When they parked their bicycles, Mikael decided to go back, said prosecutor Ove Jäverfelt when the charges were brought.

Argument

According to Jäverfelt, an argument ensued, which ended with one person in the group pulling out a pistol and starting to shoot. The first shot is believed to have been fired next to Mikael.

Then it seems that Mikael moves towards the person who is shooting, he is then shot with two bullets in the upper body, the prosecutor has said.

The son became a witness and alerted the police. The 10-minute-long call was played back during the first day of proceedings in Södertörn District Court, where the boy was heard crying as he told how his father had been shot.

The man accused of the murder is linked by the police to a criminal network called Skärholmsfalangen. He has long been active in criminal circles and the police believe he was criminally active already at the age of 13.

DNA on the murder weapon

According to the charges, he is linked to the crime, among other things, through his DNA being found on the bicycle the shooter fled on, as well as on the murder weapon. The prosecutor has demanded 14 years' imprisonment for the man, which is the maximum sentence since he was 17 years old at the time of the crime.

The man, who denies the charges, has said that he had previously test-fired the murder weapon, but claims that he was not present at all when the shots were fired. However, he did not want to provide detailed explanations during the trial.