“Rules for Murder” Notebook Found in Suspect’s Home as Norrköping Shooting Trial Looms
A chillingly detailed notebook containing instructions on how to commit murder was discovered hidden in the wardrobe of a 19-year-old man, just weeks after he allegedly shot and killed a man in Norrköping, Sweden. The discovery, first reported by SVT News East, raises disturbing questions about premeditation and the psychological factors surrounding the August 12, 2024, shooting.
The investigation began after a 19-year-old man shot a person in the head on Nygatan in Norrköping. Three individuals are now facing charges in connection with the incident, with a trial scheduled to begin this Thursday and expected to last five days. The 19-year-old suspect, who was 18 at the time of the shooting, has admitted to the crime.
From Uppsala to Norrköping: A Paid Hit
According to preliminary investigation findings, the shooter traveled from uppsala to Norrköping on August 11, 2024, having accepted a contract to commit murder for a payment of SEK 100,000. Investigators believe he obtained the weapon from two women in Norrköping. On the evening of the shooting, he was observed riding an electric kick bike, waiting near a silver-colored Audi.
The suspect recounted the events during interrogation, stating, “I sat on the right side, in the middle of the right rear seat and in the middle. Then he asked in the passenger seat if I had the money. So I said yes,wait a bit,I’ll bring them about. So I brought out the gun and shot the driver.” The passenger in the Audi managed to escape unharmed.
The suspect claims he was coerced into the act, alleging he was threatened and influenced by the drugs Tramadol and benzo. “I just got to know about an assignment and then it became as it became. I didn’t even know it was a conflict that was going on in Norrköping,” he stated.
Did you know?-Tramadol and Benzo are prescription drugs. Tramadol is an opioid analgesic used to treat moderate to moderately severe pain. Benzodiazepines, frequently enough called “benzos,” are a class of psychoactive drugs with varying uses, including anxiety relief.
The “Rules for Murder” Notebook
A subsequent search of the suspect’s home on September 20, 2024, uncovered the disturbing notebook. The black notebook, found concealed in a sealed bag inside a shoe box in the wardrobe, contained a page titled “Rules for Murder.” Specific instructions included directives such as “Do not get stuck” and “Do not bring DNA.”
Psychological Detachment
Sven Granath, a criminologist and researcher at Stockholm university, suggests the existence of such a list may indicate an attempt to psychologically distance oneself from the gravity of the act. “It may not be a coincidence that it is called rules for murder, because then it will be psychologically a little easier to implement this,” Granath explained to SVT news East. “You simply remove the feeling of what it is indeed really about, that is, to take another person’s life.”
Reader question:-how common is it for criminals to document their plans, and what role does this documentation play in the legal proceedings?
Granath also noted that the discovery of similar materials is not unprecedented in criminal investigations.
The 19-year-old suspect was arrested approximately one month after the murder. Records indicate he had previously been placed in both HVB (care facilities for vulnerable youth) and LVU (care according to the Care of Young Persons Act) settings.
The trial promises to shed further light on the motivations behind the shooting, the roles of the other two accused – a 26-year-old and a 21-year-old charged with promoting the murder – and the chilling implications of the “rules for murder” notebook. The two other men deny any involvement in the crime.
