Mattias Flink
Encyclopedia
Mattias Flink is a Swedish spree killer
who killed seven people on June 11, 1994, in Falun, Sweden. He was at the time a fänrik
in the Swedish Army
.
. His parents divorced when he was nine years old and the divorce is described as having been calm and sensible. Flink chose to stay with his father in the family house while his mother moved to an apartment just a couple of hundred meters from the house. According to psychological evaluations his mother's departure left deep scars within Flink. It is said that Flink developed some kind of alienation towards women.
Flink attended high school with a focus on Electric Mechanical studies. After his graduation Flink enlisted as a conscript with Dalregementet
. He committed himself to become an officer of the Swedish Army and was employed at Dalaregementet in 1993.
. He was reported as having been "thrown out of a restaurant for bothering women".
caliber. Flink then set out for a park in Downtown Falun where he shot 6 members of the Women's Auxiliary Services. The women were shot at random. Shortly thereafter, he shot two men, one cyclist and one security officer, at a nearby road crossing. Six of the victims died immediately, while one woman died in the hospital. One victim survived the attack.
prison but was subsequently moved to Beateberg prison outside of Stockholm. When the prisoners of Beateberg learned of Flink's move they arranged a meeting to show their disgust towards his actions of killing innocent women.
Flink has been allotted protected identity by Swedish Authorities. He has refused to give any interviews. During his years in prison he has been described as a calm and well-behaved prisoner.
During the spring of 2008 Mattias Flink applied for parole to the District court of Örebro
. On June 9, the court ruled that Flink must go through a psychiatric examination to determine whether he is likely to be dangerous to others before a decision on parole can be made. The examination by the Swedish National Board of Forensic Medicine (Rättsmedicinalverket) will be finished by July 7. The victims' families strongly oppose the fact that Flink might be released.
Mattias Flink has been given several monitored short-term leaves from prison, and in May 2007 he was granted unmonitored leaves since he behaved well during his other leaves. Relatives and families of the victims strongly opposed these leaves and expressed worries about the same thing happening again.
municipal court rejected the request with the motivation that the circumstances regarding the case are "exceptionally difficult" and that a set time punishment has to greatly exceed 24 years.
On July 7, 2010, Flinks request to convert his sentence was approved by Örebro
tingsrätt
(district court). His punishment was set to 32 years imprisonment, which would have made him eligible for parole sometime in 2015. The decision, however, was appealed by the prosecutor, and on December 21, 2010, Flinks punishment was adjusted to 36 years by Göta Court of Appeal pushing his potential parole date to the summer of 2018.
, when Mika Muranen
, an army deserter
, shot two of his neighbours with a crossbow
and one man with an assault rifle
.
Spree killer
A spree killer is someone who embarks on a murderous assault on two or more victims in a short time in multiple locations. The U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics defines a spree killing as "killings at two or more locations with almost no time break between murders."-Definition:According to the...
who killed seven people on June 11, 1994, in Falun, Sweden. He was at the time a fänrik
Fänrik
-Professional officer:A minimum of 11 months of basic military training or 6 months as an aspirant followed by a three year programme at an officer school . - Conscript officer :...
in the Swedish Army
Swedish Army
The Swedish Army is one of the oldest standing armies in the world and a branch of the Swedish Armed Forces; it is in charge of land operations. General Sverker Göranson is the Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Army.- Organization :...
.
Early years
Flink was born and raised in Falun. His mother was a housewife and his father and grandfather worked as weaponry blacksmiths with their own shop. At the age of seven Flink joined the Scout MovementScouting
Scouting, also known as the Scout Movement, is a worldwide youth movement with the stated aim of supporting young people in their physical, mental and spiritual development, that they may play constructive roles in society....
. His parents divorced when he was nine years old and the divorce is described as having been calm and sensible. Flink chose to stay with his father in the family house while his mother moved to an apartment just a couple of hundred meters from the house. According to psychological evaluations his mother's departure left deep scars within Flink. It is said that Flink developed some kind of alienation towards women.
Flink attended high school with a focus on Electric Mechanical studies. After his graduation Flink enlisted as a conscript with Dalregementet
Dalregementet
Dalregementet , designations I 13 and I 13/Fo 53, was a Swedish Army infantry regiment that traced its origins back to the 16th century. It was disbanded in 2000...
. He committed himself to become an officer of the Swedish Army and was employed at Dalaregementet in 1993.
Mental health
During the spring of 1994 Flink suffered severe problems with his mental health, resulting in aggression, severe jealousy, sleeping disorders and paranoia. This led to a total mental breakdownMental breakdown
Mental breakdown is a non-medical term used to describe an acute, time-limited phase of a specific disorder that presents primarily with features of depression or anxiety.-Definition:...
. He was reported as having been "thrown out of a restaurant for bothering women".
Killing spree
On June 11, 1994, Second Lieutenant Mattias Flink consumed a large amount of alcohol. Then he went home to change his clothes. Dressed in his field uniform he walked to his regiment. He equipped himself with his AK5 assault rifle and 150 rounds of ammunition, 5.56x45mm NATO5.56x45mm NATO
5.56×45mm NATO is a rifle cartridge developed in the United States and originally chambered in the M16 rifle. Under STANAG 4172, it is a standard cartridge for NATO forces as well as many non-NATO countries. It is derived from, but not identical to, the .223 Remington cartridge...
caliber. Flink then set out for a park in Downtown Falun where he shot 6 members of the Women's Auxiliary Services. The women were shot at random. Shortly thereafter, he shot two men, one cyclist and one security officer, at a nearby road crossing. Six of the victims died immediately, while one woman died in the hospital. One victim survived the attack.
Victims
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The arrest
After the shootings Flink sought refuge in a nearby crane. He remained there for some time before he made his way down to walk home along an abandoned railway. It was at this time that two policemen discovered him. Flink fired two rounds at the policemen who then returned fire. Flink was hit in the hip and collapsed. At 03:25 Flink was apprehended and brought to Falun hospital. His blood alcohol level was 1.69 at the time of the arrest.The trial
In the district court the defense never questioned the prosecutor's description of the crime. The question for the defense was whether or not Flink was mentally ill at the time of the shooting. According to experts, Flink was in a self-inflicted temporary psychotic condition, triggered by alcohol, on the evening of the crime. If Flink was found to be mentally ill he would not be able to be sentenced to prison. The final verdict came in the Swedish Supreme Court; Mattias Flink was sentenced to life imprisonment. This precedent verdict made it possible for the courts in Sweden to sentence people to prison for crimes stemming from and committed during an alcohol-induced psychosis.Time in prison
Flink was placed in the NorrköpingNorrköping
Norrköping is a city in the province of Östergötland in eastern Sweden and the seat of Norrköping Municipality, Östergötland County. The city has a population of 87,247 inhabitants in 2010, out of a municipal total of 130,050, making it Sweden's tenth largest city and eighth largest...
prison but was subsequently moved to Beateberg prison outside of Stockholm. When the prisoners of Beateberg learned of Flink's move they arranged a meeting to show their disgust towards his actions of killing innocent women.
Flink has been allotted protected identity by Swedish Authorities. He has refused to give any interviews. During his years in prison he has been described as a calm and well-behaved prisoner.
During the spring of 2008 Mattias Flink applied for parole to the District court of Örebro
Örebro
-Sites of interest:Örebro's old town Wadköping is located on the banks of Svartån . It contains many 18th and 19th century wooden houses, along with museums and exhibitions....
. On June 9, the court ruled that Flink must go through a psychiatric examination to determine whether he is likely to be dangerous to others before a decision on parole can be made. The examination by the Swedish National Board of Forensic Medicine (Rättsmedicinalverket) will be finished by July 7. The victims' families strongly oppose the fact that Flink might be released.
Mattias Flink has been given several monitored short-term leaves from prison, and in May 2007 he was granted unmonitored leaves since he behaved well during his other leaves. Relatives and families of the victims strongly opposed these leaves and expressed worries about the same thing happening again.
Conversion of Life Sentence to a Set Time sentence
In January, 2008, Flink requested that his life sentence be limited to 24 years imprisonment. However on September 3, 2008, ÖrebroÖrebro
-Sites of interest:Örebro's old town Wadköping is located on the banks of Svartån . It contains many 18th and 19th century wooden houses, along with museums and exhibitions....
municipal court rejected the request with the motivation that the circumstances regarding the case are "exceptionally difficult" and that a set time punishment has to greatly exceed 24 years.
On July 7, 2010, Flinks request to convert his sentence was approved by Örebro
Örebro
-Sites of interest:Örebro's old town Wadköping is located on the banks of Svartån . It contains many 18th and 19th century wooden houses, along with museums and exhibitions....
tingsrätt
Tingsrätt
Tingsrätt , käräjäoikeus or tingrett is a term used for district courts in Sweden, Finland and Norway...
(district court). His punishment was set to 32 years imprisonment, which would have made him eligible for parole sometime in 2015. The decision, however, was appealed by the prosecutor, and on December 21, 2010, Flinks punishment was adjusted to 36 years by Göta Court of Appeal pushing his potential parole date to the summer of 2018.
Similar cases
In the same year, there was a similar case in FinlandFinland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
, when Mika Muranen
Mika Muranen
Mika Kalevi Muranen , a military conscript, returned to his barracks in Hamina from a holiday on Sunday, April 17, 1994, stole an Rk 62 assault rifle from the barracks and fled to his hometown Kotka....
, an army deserter
Desertion
In military terminology, desertion is the abandonment of a "duty" or post without permission and is done with the intention of not returning...
, shot two of his neighbours with a crossbow
Crossbow
A crossbow is a weapon consisting of a bow mounted on a stock that shoots projectiles, often called bolts or quarrels. The medieval crossbow was called by many names, most of which derived from the word ballista, a torsion engine resembling a crossbow in appearance.Historically, crossbows played a...
and one man with an assault rifle
Rk 62
The Rk 62 is an assault rifle manufactured by Valmet and Sako. It is the standard issue infantry weapon of the Finnish Defence Forces....
.
External links
- Ingen ska behöva se mig med vapen igen, Aftonbladet (June 1, 2008)