Per Anders Eklund (born 6 August 1965) is a Swedish murderer and rapist convicted of killing a 31-year-old woman in 2000 and a 10-year-old girl in 2008. Eklund is also a suspect in other murder cases currently under investigation, including the unsolved 1994 murder of Malin Olsson in

Gothenburg Gothenburg (; abbreviated Gbg; sv, Göteborg ) is the second-largest city in Sweden, fifth-largest in the Nordic countries, and capital of the Västra Götaland County. It is situated by the Kattegat, on the west coast of Sweden, and has ...

. On 6 October 2008, he was sentenced to

life imprisonment Life imprisonment is any sentence of imprisonment for a crime under which convicted people are to remain in prison for the rest of their natural lives or indefinitely until pardoned, paroled, or otherwise commuted to a fixed term. Crimes for ...

for the two murders, one rape in Sandviken 2006 and on child pornography charges. In September 2014, the Swedish tabloid ''

Aftonbladet ''Aftonbladet'' (, lit. "The evening paper") is a Swedish daily newspaper published in Stockholm, Sweden. It is one of the largest daily newspapers in the Nordic countries. History and profile The newspaper was founded by Lars Johan H ...

'' revealed that Eklund was a suspect in yet another murder, this time the murder of six-year-old Jasmina Jasharaj who went missing without a trace in 1997. Even though the police have not found her body, they are treating the case as a homicide.

Höglund murder

On 5 April 2008, 10-year-old Engla Juncosa Höglund went missing on her way home from soccer practice in Stjärnsund, Sweden. When she did not answer her mobile phone, Engla's mother, Carina Höglund, went looking for her and found her daughter's abandoned bicycle in the woods. The mother quickly suspected foul play and stated that her daughter did not have the physical strength to dispose of the bicycle in that way. By coincidence, a man was out testing his new digital camera around the time of Höglund's disappearance and he took photos of his surroundings, including one photo of 10-year-old Engla Höglund riding her bike. The man also took a photo of a red Saab 900 following the young girl. The driver of the red car was later revealed to be Eklund. After the photographer stepped forward and showed police his photos, Eklund was identified and consequently arrested. On 13 April 2008, after days of interrogations by experts from Rikskriminalpolisen, Eklund confessed to the murder and disclosed the location of Höglund's body. During these interrogations Eklund also confessed to the murder of Pernilla Hellgren. Höglund's death became headline news, as most people had high hopes of finding the girl alive. Höglund's funeral on 10 May 2008 was broadcast live on television on

SVT1 SVT1 (SVT Ett; commonly referred to as Ettan) is the primary television station of the Swedish public service broadcaster Sveriges Television in Sweden. History Television in Sweden officially launched on 4 September 1956 with the launch of '' ...

, the first time in Swedish television history any such broadcast had been made. The decision to broadcast the funeral was questioned and it sparked a debate about whether it was ethical or not.

Hellgren murder

On 4 June 2000 in Falun, 31-year-old Pernilla Hellgren was found murdered. She had been

strangled Strangling is compression of the neck that may lead to unconsciousness or death by causing an increasingly hypoxic state in the brain. Fatal strangling typically occurs in cases of violence, accidents, and is one of two main ways that hanging ...

and sexually assaulted. A young girl on her way home had witnessed the attack, and told investigators that she saw a man following Hellgren on her way home from a party in central Falun. DNA found on Hellgren's body was a match to Eklund, who confessed to the murder when investigators in the Engla case presented the DNA evidence that implicated him.

Trial and imprisonment

On 18 July 2008, Eklund was tried on two counts of murder and two counts of rape. In addition to these charges he was also accused of several counts of illegal possession of child pornography. In August 2008, after a relatively swift trial, he was found guilty of all charges and declared mentally fit to stand trial. On 6 October 2008, Eklund was sentenced to

for the two murders, one rape in Sandviken 2006 and for the child pornography crimes. Following the sentencing, Eklund was transferred to the Norrtälje Correctional Facility, a high-security prison north of Stockholm. The Norrtälje Correctional Facility provides a special wing for sex offenders, commonly known as "the sex bunker", in which Eklund was incarcerated. In June 2014, Eklund was assaulted by other inmates and had to be hospitalized. He was released from hospital and returned to prison the same day.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Eklund, Anders 1965 births 2000 murders in Sweden 2008 murders in Sweden Living people People convicted of murder by Sweden Prisoners and detainees of Sweden Prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment by Sweden Suspected serial killers Swedish murderers of children Swedish people convicted of murder Swedish people convicted of rape Swedish prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment

Höglund murder

Hellgren murder

Trial and imprisonment

See also

References