Tore Hedin
Encyclopedia
Tore Hedin was a Swedish
mass murderer, spree killer
and police officer
, infamous for being the worst known in Swedish history . The case remain infamous as well since Hedin, as a police officer
, was for an extended period assigned to investigate his own murders.
. He committed his first crime in September, 1943 when he broke into a local brewery near his parental home to steal some oats. To avoid detection, he then burned down the brewery to hide his crime; this was a method he used later to cover his tracks when he committed far more serious crimes.
On 28 November 1951 he robbed and murdered his friend John Allan Nilsson after a poker game at Nilsson’s home in Tjörnarp
. To cover his tracks he burned down the crime scene. Being the local police representative, he took part in the investigation and even answered questions from the national media concerning the case.
Thirty minutes later he arrived at the retirement home in Hurva
, where his ex girlfriend worked and lived. He climbed a fire escape and entered the room where Östberg usually slept. This night however, she was not sleeping there, but in the room of Agnes Lundin, the matron. He discovered this, entered the room and killed them both with an axe. After killing Östberg and Lundin he blocked the entrance to the retirement home and set it on fire. Four elderly people died in the flames, with a fifth dying some days later from severe burns.
It is unclear at what point he decided to take his own life. The police had realised by now that Hedin was behind the killings and had started a manhunt. They found his car parked near a cabin by a lake. In the front seat was a suicide note, his jacket and his wallet. The suicide note contained a full confession of all crimes he committed. He claimed he was only good at one thing, tracking other criminals. It ended with his name, occupation (murderer), whereabouts (unknown) and an explanation to why he had killed his parents — so that they would not have to suffer for his crimes. Somewhat later his weighted down body was found in the lake where he had drowned himself.
Hedin's corpse was transported to the Institution of Anatomy at Lund University
. It was stored at the institution until 1974, when it was cremated.
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
mass murderer, spree killer
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...
and police officer
Police officer
A police officer is a warranted employee of a police force...
, infamous for being the worst known in Swedish history . The case remain infamous as well since Hedin, as a police officer
Police officer
A police officer is a warranted employee of a police force...
, was for an extended period assigned to investigate his own murders.
First crimes
Hedin was born in Stora Harrie, near KävlingeKävlinge
Kävlinge is a locality and the seat of Kävlinge Municipality, Skåne County, Sweden with 8,550 inhabitants in 2005.In 1996, a train containing large amounts of ammonia derailed and around 9,000 people had to be evacuated from the area...
. He committed his first crime in September, 1943 when he broke into a local brewery near his parental home to steal some oats. To avoid detection, he then burned down the brewery to hide his crime; this was a method he used later to cover his tracks when he committed far more serious crimes.
On 28 November 1951 he robbed and murdered his friend John Allan Nilsson after a poker game at Nilsson’s home in Tjörnarp
Tjörnarp
Tjörnarp is a locality situated in Höör Municipality, Skåne County, Sweden with 742 inhabitants in 2005....
. To cover his tracks he burned down the crime scene. Being the local police representative, he took part in the investigation and even answered questions from the national media concerning the case.
Killing spree
Almost a year later, in the night of August 21, 1952, he went on a killing spree after being dumped by his girlfriend, Ulla Östberg. His first stop was his parents house in Saxtorp, where he killed them both and set the house on fire sometime before midnight.Thirty minutes later he arrived at the retirement home in Hurva
Hurva, Sweden
Hurva is a locality situated in Eslöv Municipality, Skåne County, Sweden with 332 inhabitants in 2005....
, where his ex girlfriend worked and lived. He climbed a fire escape and entered the room where Östberg usually slept. This night however, she was not sleeping there, but in the room of Agnes Lundin, the matron. He discovered this, entered the room and killed them both with an axe. After killing Östberg and Lundin he blocked the entrance to the retirement home and set it on fire. Four elderly people died in the flames, with a fifth dying some days later from severe burns.
It is unclear at what point he decided to take his own life. The police had realised by now that Hedin was behind the killings and had started a manhunt. They found his car parked near a cabin by a lake. In the front seat was a suicide note, his jacket and his wallet. The suicide note contained a full confession of all crimes he committed. He claimed he was only good at one thing, tracking other criminals. It ended with his name, occupation (murderer), whereabouts (unknown) and an explanation to why he had killed his parents — so that they would not have to suffer for his crimes. Somewhat later his weighted down body was found in the lake where he had drowned himself.
Hedin's corpse was transported to the Institution of Anatomy at Lund University
Lund University
Lund University , located in the city of Lund in the province of Scania, Sweden, is one of northern Europe's most prestigious universities and one of Scandinavia's largest institutions for education and research, frequently ranked among the world's top 100 universities...
. It was stored at the institution until 1974, when it was cremated.
TV references
- In 1986 an episode of the mini-series "Skånska Mord", titled "Hurvamorden", was made about these tragic events. Ernst-Hugo JäregårdErnst-Hugo JäregårdErnst-Hugo Alfred Järegård, was a Swedish cult actor.-Biography:...
played the role of Tore Hedin in this episode.