A 19-year-old man has been acquitted by the Örebro District Court for the suspected knife murder in Laxå this summer. The man admitted to stabbing the victim, a 21-year-old man, but claimed self-defense. Two women of the same age as the 19-year-old, who were accused of aiding the murder, have also been acquitted of the criminal suspicions.
The incident occurred on the night of August 16 this summer when the 21-year-old man was stabbed in the stomach on a bridge near Laxå's healthcare center. He was taken to the hospital but could not be saved. Shortly after, three people were arrested: the then 19-year-old man for the suspected murder and two women of the same age for helping him.
During the legal process, the 19-year-old stated that the 21-year-old was carrying the knife when they met and attacked him first. In the tumult, the 19-year-old reportedly got hold of the knife and defended himself by making a stab at the 21-year-old's upper body. This account has been difficult to prove during the investigation because the knife in question was never found.
The women have consistently denied the crime. The evidence in the case includes a mapping of the trio's movement patterns during that night and their mobile traffic. According to prosecutor Henrik Lundh, the origin of everything was reportedly a fight over a pair of pants.
SVT Nyheter Örebro is seeking comments from the 19-year-old's defense lawyer Mikael Westerlund and Henrik Lundh.