Anders Eklund (murderer)

Per Anders Eklund (born August 6, 1965) is a Swedish murderer and rapist convicted of killing a 31-year-old woman in 2000 and a 10-year-old girl in 2008. Eklund is also a suspect in other murder cases currently under investigation, including the unsolved 1994 murder of Malin Olsson in Gothenburg.[1] On October 6, 2008, he was sentenced to life imprisonment for the two murders, one rape in Sandviken 2006 and on child pornography charges.[2]

Anders Eklund
Born (1965-08-06) August 6, 1965
Torsåker, Sweden
OccupationTruck driver
Criminal statusIncarcerated
MotiveSexual
Conviction(s)Life imprisonment
Criminal chargeMurder
Rape
Child pornography charges
Details
Killed2

In September 2014 the Swedish tabloid Aftonbladet revealed that Eklund was a suspect in yet another murder, this time the murder of six-year-old Jasmina Jasharaj who went missing without a trace in 1997. Even though the police have not found her body, they are treating the case as a homicide.[3]

Höglund murder

On April 5, 2008, 10-year-old Engla Juncosa Höglund went missing on her way home from soccer practice in Stjärnsund, Sweden.[4] When she did not answer her mobile phone, Engla's mother, Carina Höglund, went looking for her and found her daughter's abandoned bicycle in the woods. The mother quickly suspected foul play and stated that her daughter did not have the physical strength to dispose of the bicycle in that way.[5] By coincidence, a man was out testing his new digital camera around the time of Höglund's disappearance and he took photos of his surroundings, including one photo of 10-year-old Engla Höglund riding her bike.[6] The man also took a photo of a red Saab 900 following the young girl. The driver of the red car was later revealed to be Anders Eklund.[7] After the photographer stepped forward and showed police his photos, Eklund was identified and consequently arrested. On April 13, 2008, after days of interrogations by experts from Rikskriminalpolisen, Eklund confessed to the murder and disclosed the location of Höglund's body. During these interrogations Eklund also confessed to the murder of Pernilla Hellgren.

Höglund's death became headline news, as most people had high hopes of finding the girl alive. Höglund's funeral on May 10, 2008 was broadcast live on television on SVT1, the first time in Swedish television history any such broadcast had been made. The decision to broadcast the funeral was questioned and it sparked a debate about whether it was ethical or not.[8]

Hellgren murder

On June 4, 2000 in Falun, 31-year-old Pernilla Hellgren was found murdered. She had been strangled and sexually assaulted.[9] A young girl on her way home had witnessed the attack, and told investigators that she saw a man following Hellgren on her way home from a party in central Falun. DNA found on Hellgren's body was a match to Eklund, who confessed to the murder when investigators in the Engla case presented the DNA evidence that implicated him.[5]

Trial and imprisonment

On July 18, 2008, Anders Eklund was tried on two counts of murder and two counts of rape. In addition to these charges he was also accused of several counts of illegal possession of child pornography. In August 2008, after a relatively swift trial he was found guilty of all charges and declared mentally fit to stand trial.[10] On October 6, 2008, Anders Eklund was sentenced to life imprisonment for the two murders, one rape in Sandviken 2006 and for the child pornography crimes.[11][12]

Following the sentencing, Eklund was transferred to the Norrtälje Correctional Facility, a high-security prison north of Stockholm. The Norrtälje Correctional Facility provides a special wing for sex offenders, commonly known as "the sex bunker", in which Anders Eklund was incarcerated.[13]

In June 2014 Eklund was assaulted by other inmates and had to be hospitalized.[14] He was released from hospital and returned to prison the same day.[15]

References
  1. Mojanis, Per. "Anders Eklund länkas samman med Malin-mordet" [Anders Eklund linked to Malin murder]. Nya Wermlands-Tidningen (in Swedish). Archived from the original on April 18, 2008. Retrieved 2012-08-09.
  2. "Anders Eklund får livstid" [Anders Eklund receives life sentence]. Svenska Dagbladet (in Swedish). 2008-10-06. Archived from the original on April 8, 2014. Retrieved 2014-06-14.
  3. Johansson, Anders; Micic, Mira (2014-09-09). "AFTONBLADET AVSLÖJAR: Anders Eklund misstänkt för ett tredje mord - nekar" [AFTONBLADET REVEALS: Anders Eklund suspect in a third murder - denies]. Aftonbladet (in Swedish). Archived from the original on 2015-09-25. Retrieved 25 September 2015.
  4. Expressen/Aftonbladet (2008-04-14). "Anders Eklund, a double murderer". Stockholm News. Archived from the original on 2014-09-11. Retrieved 2014-06-14.
  5. Simpson, Peter Vinthagen (2008-07-21). "Pernilla Hellgren 'was not supposed to die'". The Local (in Swedish). Archived from the original on October 30, 2008. Retrieved 2008-10-05.
  6. "Dokumentär om fallet Engla Höglund" [Documentary about the Engla Höglund case]. P4 Dalarna (in Swedish). Sveriges Radio. 5 October 2012. Archived from the original on 2014-09-11. Retrieved 2014-06-14.
  7. Solum, Linda (2008-04-25). "Han mördade 10-åriga Engla" [He murdered 10-year-old Engla]. Dalarnas Tidningar (in Swedish). Archived from the original on August 12, 2009. Retrieved 2012-08-09.
  8. Lindström, Lars (8 April 2008). "Engla var ju så nära - och nu så långt borta" [Engla was so close - and now so far away]. Expressen (in Swedish). Archived from the original on 14 June 2011. Retrieved 2012-08-09.
  9. Näslund, Anne-Sofie (4 February 2010). "Pernillas mamma Monica Hellgren: Bedrövligt" [Pernilla's mother Monica Hellgren: Terrible]. Expressen (in Swedish). Archived from the original on 2014-09-10. Retrieved 2014-06-14.
  10. TT/The Local (4 September 2008). "Engla's killer 'will face jail'". The Local. Archived from the original on 2014-09-11. Retrieved 2014-06-14.
  11. Öhman, Adam (23 July 2008). "Anders Eklund ska psykundersökas" [Anders Eklund will go through psychiatric examination]. Expressen (in Swedish). Archived from the original on 20 September 2011. Retrieved 2012-08-09.
  12. TT/The Local (6 October 2008). "Engla's killer sentenced to life in prison". The Local. Archived from the original on 2014-09-10. Retrieved 2014-06-14.
  13. Johansson, Anders; Lundh, Josefin (2013-03-29). "Unik granskning av Sveriges livstidsfångar" [Unique review of Swedish prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment]. Aftonbladet (in Swedish). Archived from the original on 2015-09-25. Retrieved 25 September 2015.
  14. "Morddömd misshandlad på Norrtäljeanstalten" [Sentenced murderer beaten at Norrtälje Prison]. P4 Uppland (in Swedish). Sveriges Radio. 10 June 2014. Archived from the original on 2014-09-11. Retrieved 2014-06-14.
  15. Johansson, Anders; Granlund, John; Dawod, Nivette (2014-06-10). "Anders Eklund misshandlad på anstalt" [Anders Eklund beaten in prison]. Aftonbladet (in Swedish). Archived from the original on 2014-06-13. Retrieved 2014-06-14.
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