18-Year-Old Convicted as Accomplice in Bredäng Murder After Appeal

An 18-year-old man has been sentenced to three and a half years in closed youth care for aiding the murder of a 45-year-old man in Bredäng, southern Stockholm. The victim was shot outside his home in May 2024 in what the court described as a cold-blooded murder of a man with no criminal ties. Initially acquitted of murder charges and only convicted for serious weapons offenses by the Södertörn District Court, the Svea Court of Appeal overturned this ruling, finding sufficient evidence to convict the young man as an accomplice to the murder. The court also convicted him for serious drug offenses.

The motive for the killing appeared tied to family conflicts. The 18-year-old harbored strong animosity towards the victim due to a belief that the victim was involved in a relationship with his mother, which was not accepted by his family. Prosecutor Kajsa Frisk highlighted that this family disapproval stemmed from tensions following the mother's divorce, with the victim’s ex-husband having a history of assault against him. The young man’s brother and father, the ex-husband in question, also expressed hostility towards the victim. While the brother is a suspect in the murder investigation, he has not been charged due to being unlocatable by police.

A 19-year-old friend of the convicted youth received a four-year prison sentence for serious weapons offenses related to the case. Judge Anna-Karin Larsson noted that the sentence imposed on the 18-year-old reflects his status as a youth at the time of the crime; had he been an adult, the punishment would have been significantly harsher.

This case underlines the tragic consequences of family discord and how deeply personal conflicts escalated into lethal violence in this Stockholm neighborhood.