JÖNKÖPING. Now begins the second day of the trial about the murder of 21-year-old Tove. The four coroners who will testify today can decide everything. – It is unusual that so many forensic doctors are involved in one and the same case, says prosecutor Thobias Wilhelmsson.
The second day of negotiations with open doors now begins in Göta Court of Appeal in Jönköping. During the day, four witnesses will be called – Anders Eriksson, Johan Berge, Brita Zilg, and Ingemar Thiblin – forensic doctors and a professor of forensic medicine.
Everyone must give their assessment of how Tove actually died.
– It is to some extent a new case in the Court of Appeal regarding the question of how the plaintiff died, says prosecutor Thobias Wilhelmsson.
One of the main questions in the Court of Appeal trial concerns how Tove died. The district court ruled that Johanna Jansson strangled Tove to death while Maja Hellman held Tove’s arms.
However, the women deny murder. Johanna Jansson believes that she briefly grabbed Tove’s neck and that Tove was still alive when she released the grip.
Maja Hellman claims that she was asleep and was not involved at all when Tove died.
In order to establish the actual cause of death, a total of five coroners have given their opinion on the matter.
– It is unusual for so many forensic doctors to be involved in one and the same case. We must not forget that a coroner was heard in the district court, so there are five in total. They all have to some extent different ideas about what has happened and how to explain the fact that the plaintiff has died, says prosecutor Thobias Wilhelmsson.
During the district court, Aleksandra Lazarevic, who also wrote the autopsy report, testified. She was then clear that Tove was strangled to death, based on what she could see during the autopsy.
But after the district court’s verdict, four more people have looked at the protocol and made their assessment.
Anders Eriksson, a professor of forensic medicine, has been called by Johanna Jansson’s lawyer Clea Sangborn.
According to him, Tove must have died from inhaling her own stomach contents – from so-called aspiration.
The other coroners lean more towards Tove’s death as a result of strangulation but do not rule out that stomach contents may have contributed to the death.
– We’ll see what they say when they sit in the witness stand. I have read their opinions and there are marginal differences. We will simply see what happens, says Thobias Wilhelmsson.
How the Court of Appeal reacts to the statements will either lead to the women’s sentences being confirmed or changed.
Tove’s family’s lawyer, Uno Karlsson, began his speech on Wednesday by mentioning that much of the trial has come to be about the coroners’ statements.
But also about other things that happened all around – such as a change of prosecutor, a whistleblower report, and a lot of writing in the media.
– Which forensic doctors should be brought in? The prosecutor in the murder is to be a judge, can he serve in the case? The new prosecutor has previously been a judge, can he work on the case? All this has created big headlines and press, and quite tough pressure for my clients, said Uno Karlsson at the time.
– We have to change the focus to what this case is about. To Tove. She was loved by her family. The fact that Tove is dead is the situation that must be assessed, not everything around it.
Prosecutor Thobias Wilhelmsson says that he wants the district court’s verdict to stand – even though the description of the offense means that the Court of Appeal can also rule on alternative classifications as well, such as murder and extremely serious assault, for example.
– A claim of murder also includes other types of intentional violence. I see no reason to make an adjustment in that part, the charge concerns murder, says Thobias Wilhelmsson.
The family’s lawyer Uno Karlsson also believes that Tove has been strangled to death and that someone held her arms.
– Tove was a strong, well-trained sports girl who played football at a competitive level. There were no defense injuries on Johanna, which indicates that Tove was somehow able to defend herself, Uno Karlsson said during the hearing on Wednesday.
FAKTA:
Almost a year ago, Tove was found dead
A year has almost passed since 21-year-old Tove was reported missing in Vetlanda. In connection with that, her two friends Maja Hellman, 19, and Johanna Jansson, 20, were also arrested.
When the body in the forest was found, it soon became clear to the police and prosecutors that someone had hidden Tove’s body and set it on fire.
Maja Hellman and Johanna Jansson were charged with both murder and gross breach of privacy and in the district court, they were sentenced to life imprisonment for the crimes.
However, the women have appealed their sentences and last week the trial began in the Court of Appeal.