Anders Eklund (murderer)
Encyclopedia
Per Anders Eklund 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
. On October 6, 2008, he was sentenced to life imprisonment
for the two murders, one rape
in Sandviken
2006 and on child pornography
charges.
Eklund's case became the most noted and most followed criminal case in Sweden during 2008, along with the crimes of Christine Schürrer
.
, Engla Höglund's mother, Carina Höglund, went looking for her. Carina Höglund found her daughter's abandoned bicycle in the woods. A person had taken photos after testing his new digital camera on the road and snapped a photo of Höglund on her way home. He had also snapped a photo of a car following the girl; the photo was of a red Saab 900
driven by Eklund. After the photographer stepped forward, Eklund was arrested and told police where to find Höglund's body on April 13, 2008. 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 was made.
, 31-year-old Pernilla Hellgren was found murdered. She had been strangled and sexually assaulted. 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 matched that of Eklund, who confessed to both murders when he was presented with the evidence.
charges. He was found guilty in August and declared not mentally ill. On October 6, 2008, he was sentenced to life imprisonment
for the two murders, one rape
in Sandviken
2006 and on child pornography
charges .
Gothenburg
Gothenburg is the second-largest city in Sweden and the fifth-largest in the Nordic countries. Situated on the west coast of Sweden, the city proper has a population of 519,399, with 549,839 in the urban area and total of 937,015 inhabitants in the metropolitan area...
. On October 6, 2008, he was sentenced to life imprisonment
Life imprisonment
Life imprisonment is a sentence of imprisonment for a serious crime under which the convicted person is to remain in jail for the rest of his or her life...
for the two murders, one rape
Rape
Rape is a type of sexual assault usually involving sexual intercourse, which is initiated by one or more persons against another person without that person's consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority or with a person who is incapable of valid consent. The...
in Sandviken
Sandviken
Sandviken may refer to:* Sandviken, a Swedish town and the seat of Sandviken municipality* Sandviken Municipality, a Swedish municipality around the town of Sandviken* Sandviken, Norway, a neighbourhood in Bergen, Norway...
2006 and on child pornography
Child pornography
Child pornography refers to images or films and, in some cases, writings depicting sexually explicit activities involving a child...
charges.
Eklund's case became the most noted and most followed criminal case in Sweden during 2008, along with the crimes of Christine Schürrer
Christine Schürrer
Christine Schürrer is a German citizen who murdered two Swedish children and seriously injured their mother with 15 blows to the head with a hammer after attacking them in their home in Arboga, Sweden, on March 17, 2008...
.
Höglund murder
On April 5, 2008, 10-year-old Engla Juncosa Höglund went missing on her way home from football practice in Stjärnsund, Sweden. When she did not answer her mobile phoneMobile phone
A mobile phone is a device which can make and receive telephone calls over a radio link whilst moving around a wide geographic area. It does so by connecting to a cellular network provided by a mobile network operator...
, Engla Höglund's mother, Carina Höglund, went looking for her. Carina Höglund found her daughter's abandoned bicycle in the woods. A person had taken photos after testing his new digital camera on the road and snapped a photo of Höglund on her way home. He had also snapped a photo of a car following the girl; the photo was of a red Saab 900
Saab 900
The Saab 900 was a car produced by Saab Automobile from 1978 until 1998 in two generations. The first generation from 1978 to 1993 is known as the "classic"; the generation from 1994 to 1998 is known as the "new generation" ....
driven by Eklund. After the photographer stepped forward, Eklund was arrested and told police where to find Höglund's body on April 13, 2008. 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
SVT1
SVT1 is the primary television station of the Swedish public service broadcaster Sveriges Television in Sweden.-History:The channel began broadcasting in 1956 and was known as Radiotjänst TV, A year later, it was renamed Sveriges Radio TV. In 1969, the second television station TV2 was launched and...
, the first time in Swedish television history any such broadcast was made.
Hellgren murder
On June 4, 2000 in FalunFalun
Falun is a city and the seat of Falun Municipality in Dalarna County, Sweden, with 36,447 inhabitants in 2005. It is also the capital of Dalarna County...
, 31-year-old Pernilla Hellgren was found murdered. She had been strangled and sexually assaulted. 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 matched that of Eklund, who confessed to both murders when he was presented with the evidence.
Trial
On July 18, 2008, Eklund's trial began. He was charged with two murders, two rapes and child pornographyChild pornography
Child pornography refers to images or films and, in some cases, writings depicting sexually explicit activities involving a child...
charges. He was found guilty in August and declared not mentally ill. On October 6, 2008, he was sentenced to life imprisonment
Life imprisonment
Life imprisonment is a sentence of imprisonment for a serious crime under which the convicted person is to remain in jail for the rest of his or her life...
for the two murders, one rape
Rape
Rape is a type of sexual assault usually involving sexual intercourse, which is initiated by one or more persons against another person without that person's consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority or with a person who is incapable of valid consent. The...
in Sandviken
Sandviken
Sandviken may refer to:* Sandviken, a Swedish town and the seat of Sandviken municipality* Sandviken Municipality, a Swedish municipality around the town of Sandviken* Sandviken, Norway, a neighbourhood in Bergen, Norway...
2006 and on child pornography
Child pornography
Child pornography refers to images or films and, in some cases, writings depicting sexually explicit activities involving a child...
charges .