The mother locked the bedroom door in fear of her son. Now he is suspected of murder.
- A 55-year-old woman was killed in her home in Boden in Sweden on Christmas Day.
- The suspect, a 22-year-old man, was shot and killed by the police during the arrest.
- In an interview with a Swedish newspaper, the mother says that she herself feared her son.
The police have described what happened in the Swedish city of Boden as “very violent”.
On the morning of Christmas Day, they went out to a white, Christmas-decorated house:
There they found a 55-year-old woman – killed in her own home.
A 22-year-old man is suspected of being behind it. He was shot and killed during the arrest – a situation that the police have so far been tight-lipped about.
Now the murder suspect’s mother talks about the fear she felt for her son.
– I realized that he could be dangerous to himself or others, she says in an interview with the local newspaper NSD.
The son has struggled with mental health problems since his teens, according to the mother.
– I was afraid of him for a while and started locking the bedroom door when I slept, because I noticed that he was not himself.
– Disappointed with the healthcare system
The 22-year-old has been admitted to a psychiatric hospital several times, writes NSD. He stayed forcibly hospitalized as late as December 17 this year.
The mother says to the newspaper that she was relieved. She hoped the admission could save lives – either her son’s or someone else’s.
The next day, however, he was discharged.
– If he had received the right help and been hospitalized for a longer period of time, this might not have happened. I am disappointed with the healthcare system, says the mother to NSD.
According to Aftonbladet, the 22-year-old must have stayed in the house for hours before he killed the 55-year-old woman with a knife.
The newspaper has described the neighborhood as a quiet residential area, where mostly pensioners and families with small children live.
– Everyone knows everyone here, a neighbor has said.
On Friday, candles were set out in the snow in front of the crime scene.
One of the daughters has been questioned
The woman’s two teenage daughters, who were also at home, survived. Their condition is stable, but they are still in hospital.
On Saturday, the police announced that one of them had been questioned.
– The sequence of events is becoming clear, but a lot of work remains, they wrote in an update on their website.
The motive for the murder is still unknown.
The police are not aware of whether the suspected perpetrator had any relationship with the 55-year-old – or the others at the address.
The case is being investigated as murder and attempted murder.
The shootout that occurred during the arrest is being investigated separately, which is routine when police fire shots.
