Sentenced to 14 years in prison for the Härnösand murders in 2005

It was at the beginning of summer 2005 that Gerd Wiklund and Tor Öberg were found dead in a barn outside Härnösand. The couple had been killed with several blows to the head with an axe-like object.

But the investigation stalled and the double murder was for many years a cold case.

Thanks to new legislation, last year the police were finally able to link a suspected perpetrator to the crime scene through DNA-based genealogy.

Last spring, prosecutor Hanna Flordal charged the now 45-year-old man with two counts of murder. In the trial, she requested a life sentence.

The central evidence has been DNA traces from the man found around the ankle of Gerd Wiklund's nylon stocking and in her purse.

The defense has objected that the trace links the man to the crime scene, but not the act itself. Even outside experts have warned that the evidence against the 45-year-old might not be enough for a conviction.

Now the district court of Ångermanland states that the man was at least involved in the murder.

- The collected evidence means that there is no other reasonable explanation for the defendant's DNA being found on one of the victims other than that he was involved in both murders, says councilor Anita Enocksson in a statement.

However, it is not clear whether there were more perpetrators - and exactly what role the 45-year-old played in that case. Therefore, he can only be convicted of aiding and abetting, not murder.

The penalty, 14 years in prison, is the most severe possible based on how the legislation looked in 2005.

At the time of the murder, the now convicted man was 24 years old. He lived in the immediate area, but was never on the police's radar during the investigation. The man is said to have had no previous contact with the couple and the motive for the act is still unknown.

The man has always denied committing the crime, but has admitted that he was at the crime scene. According to the man's version, he heard screams and saw two men leave the scene. He then found the murdered woman, whom he dragged into the barn.

- I'm probably going to panic. And then I drag her into the barn and then I run away, he explained his actions in questioning.

He never contacted the police for fear of being suspected of crime himself, he claimed during the investigation.

The court notes that the 45-year-old has provided meager information. He has changed some parts after he was given information about the investigation in questioning. The court also questions parts of the man's version of the incident, such as whether he may have actually seen what happened in the yard and whether he may have heard the woman's screams.