A 14-year-old boy is accused of being the shooter in a brutal murder of a 41-year-old gang leader in Linköping last summer. Eight men are now charged for their involvement in the crime, which was allegedly planned and executed in a residential area. The trial is set to begin next week.
14-Year-Old Accused as Shooter in Brutal Linköping Murder: Eight Charged
14-Year-Old Accused as Shooter in Brutal Linköping Murder: Eight Charged
First, the 14-year-old was treated to a meal. Then, according to the prosecutor, he was given a weapon and driven to a location where a 41-year-old gang leader had been lured. Now, eight men are charged for their involvement in the brutal murder in Linköping last summer.
On a Tuesday afternoon in August last summer, the sound of gunshots echoed through a residential area near Berga Church in Linköping.
A 41-year-old man, who police identified as a leader in the criminal Berga network, was shot and later died from his injuries.
Now, almost exactly a year later, several individuals have been charged for their involvement in the murder.
14-Year-Old Shooter
According to prosecutor Magdalena Tesfai, it was a 14-year-old boy who held the weapon. In the indictment, she describes how he was first treated to a meal by a then 17-year-old boy in Berga center, and then met up with more men in their 20s at a nearby pizzeria.
Afterwards, the 14-year-old allegedly received a semi-automatic pistol, was instructed and urged to shoot the 41-year-old, and then was driven on an electric scooter to a location.
Gang Leader Lured into Trap
At the same location, the 41-year-old appeared. According to the prosecutor, he had been lured there, believing he was going to conduct a drug deal.
Since the 14-year-old was not of legal age at the time of the murder, he is not being charged. Instead, a so-called evidentiary hearing is being held, where the court will only determine if he is guilty or not, without imposing any punishment.
The boy has confessed to the crime.
- He admits that he is the one who shot. His story is that he did this on his own initiative, says the boy's lawyer Bengt Ivarsson to Sveriges Radio.
More Involved in Planning
However, according to the prosecutor, several other individuals were involved.
She has charged the 17-year-old boy, who treated the 14-year-old to a meal, as well as a then 27-year-old man, a then 20-year-old man, and a then 25-year-old for murder. According to the indictment, they were involved in planning the act and assisted the perpetrator with weapons and transportation.
- It is an execution-like and brutal murder in a public place in the middle of the day, in a densely populated residential area, says Magdalena Tesfai in a statement.
Four more men, aged 20-28, are charged with being accessories to murder.
All the accused deny the charges.
The indictment also includes charges of involving a minor in criminal activity and gross protection of a criminal. Among the evidence are DNA traces, a confiscated yellow electric scooter from the crime scene, surveillance footage, and phone analyses.
The trial begins next week.