Swedish court sentences man for 2005 Brattås double murder

A 45-year-old man has been sentenced to 14 years in prison for aiding and abetting the 2005 double murder of Tor Öberg and Gerd Wiklund in Brattås, near Härnösand. The Ångermanlands District Court ruled that while there was insufficient evidence to prove he was the primary perpetrator, the collective evidence established his involvement as an accomplice.

The case, which remained unsolved for nearly two decades, was broken by the use of DNA-based genealogical research, a method enabled by new legislation. Investigators identified the man through genealogical databases, and subsequent DNA testing confirmed a direct match with traces found at the crime scene, including on Wiklund’s clothing and inside her handbag.

The defendant maintained that he arrived at the scene by chance after hearing screams and claimed he only moved Wiklund’s body into a barn out of panic. The motive for the killings remains unknown, as the victim's bank card was missing but the man's wallet, containing 10,000 SEK, was left untouched.