26 years ago, 16-year-old Malin Lindström disappeared from the town of Husum in Örnsköldsvik municipality in Sweden.
The teenager was last seen on November 23, 1996, when she was to meet a friend.
Six months later, on May 22, 1997, the body was found tried to be hidden under spruce twigs.
Bound and abused
Lindström had been stabbed to death and severely abused. Legs and arms were tied with tape and police could see traces of sexual abuse.
DNA was found on the 16-year-old’s trousers.
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“There was no technique for retrieving a DNA profile at that time. But that technique exists today “, writes Swedish Aftonbladetand states that new clues in the old case have led to a reopening.
Two years after Lindström was found dead, a then 20-year-old man was sentenced to eight years in prison for the murder.
He was later acquitted in the Court of Appeal.
Reopens the case
The public prosecutor has submitted a request for reopening of the case, and recently gave the Supreme Court a clear signal.
The man, who was previously acquitted, has been arrested again and requested custody in anticipation of the trial in Sundsvall, writes Aftonbladet.
– The new evidence does not answer the questions about how and when the girl was robbed of her life. On the other hand, it means that there is very strong evidence that there is a connection between the girl and the man who was previously acquitted, says Supreme Court Judge Stefan Johansson.
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The 16-year-old’s father, Rune Lindström, received the message on the morning of Monday 30 May. He tells Aftonbladet that it was a relief.
– It must be possible to prove it in a court case and the outcome is difficult to predict. But it will be another conviction – I hope so anyway. I have difficulty seeing anything else, he says.
Lindström is still skeptical that the man who was first convicted back in 1997 is his daughter’s killer.
Disturbing findings
Dagbladet mentioned the accused man in an article in the summer of 1998.
During the trial, the accused 20-year-old denied all guilt, even though fiber from Lindström’s sweater was found at his home, as well as the same type of tape with which she had been tied.
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The man is said to have changed his explanation several times, and claimed that he paid the 16-year-old 500 kroner to have sex with her.
He is described as sped and enclosed – most concerned with mopeds and data.
In the man’s home, the police made several disturbing findings. Among them a leather whip, knives and abused Barbie dolls. Pictures of naked bound women and the man’s own drawings with similar motifs were also found.
At the time, the prosecution placed great emphasis on a drawing of a skull lying on a bog bed. The drawing must have contained several details from the place where Lindström was found.
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