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Murder of Catrine da Costa

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Catrine da Costa
Born
Catrine Beatrice Bäckström

19 June 1956
Luleå, Sweden
Disappeared10 June 1984 (aged 27)
Diedc. July 1984 (aged 28)
Solna, Sweden
Cause of deathUndetermined, considered homicide
Body discovered18 July and 7 August 1984
Children2

Catrine da Costa (19 June 1956 – c. July 1984) is a Swedish murder victim whose remains were found in Solna, north of Stockholm, in 1984. Da Costa had been dismembered, and parts of her body were found in plastic bags on 18 July and 7 August. The case is known as styckmordsrättegången ('the dismemberment murder trial'). How da Costa died has not been established as her vital organs and head have never been found.

Background

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Da Costa, a homeless, divorced mother of two, heroin addict and prostitute in Stockholm in early 1984,[1][2][3] disappeared during Pentecost on 10 June, or soon thereafter.[3] One of the witnesses claimed in a recording that he had talked to Da Costa twice after his birthday on June 10th.[4] The last alleged sighting of Da Costa took place at Gamla Brogatan in central Stockholm on June 15th, she was in the company of a middle aged man about 6 ft. tall.[5]

On 18 July, parts of her dismembered body were discovered under a highway overpass in Solna, just outside Stockholm; additional body parts were discovered elsewhere on 7 August.[2][6] Da Costa's body was identified by her fingerprints.[3] Her head, internal organs, one breast and genitalia have never been found,[3][2] and no cause of death could be determined.[2] Initially the murder did not receive much attention from the police due to the large number of violent crimes in Sweden at the time.[7]

Shortly thereafter,[2] Teet Härm, a 30-year-old forensic pathologist in a laboratory at Karolinska Institutet, was suspected of the crime.[1] His deceased wife's father reported him to the police even though there were no indications that he had murdered 27-year-old Da Costa or even that he had ever met her.[8] Earlier, the father had told the police he suspected Härm had murdered his daughter, who had officially died from suicide.[9]

He was known to have met prostitutes in the past, and his workplace was located between the two places where the victim's body was found.[2] Härm had also recently been working in a team looking into unsolved murders of prostitutes in Stockholm together with forensic pathologist Jovan Rajs and three police officers including Jan Olsson who was seen as Sweden's "Super Cop" at the time.[10] Härm was arrested and released.[1] Dr Rajs, who was Härm's mentor, supported the police's suspicion that Härm had performed the dismemberment.[11]

At this time, the wife of Thomas Allgén,[2] a general practitioner, alerted the police that their 17-month-old daughter might be an incest victim.[12] Pediatric examinations found no evidence of abuse,[12] and the doctor and his wife separated in late 1984.[1] The same year, Allgéns wife contacted the police about her contacts with the supect Härm.[13] Later in 1985, the wife told police that her 27 month old daughter had begun talking about witnessing a dismemberment.[12][14] Since the pathologist and the general practitioner knew each other superficially, the police connected the cases.[15] The following trials also contained testimonies from the 2½-year-old child's stories, interpreted by her mother and evaluated by a child psychologist and child psychiatrist.[2] In 2024, the child psychiatrist (Frank Lindblad) claims that he had never discussed a dismemberment murder with the child.[16]

In 1986, police resources were stretched thin after the murder of Swedish Prime Minister Olof Palme, so the dismemberment case was shelved until the following year. Härm and Allgén were arrested in late 1987 and brought to trial in January 1988.[17]

Other suspects in the case included the Polish born butcher and ex-policeman Stanislaw Gonerka who had moved to Sweden in 1958 and had killed and dismembered his girlfriend (whose head, like Da Costa's, was never found) in 1974 and also killed a couple in Ystad 1977. Gonerka was interrogated twice by the police in relation to the Da Costa murder and was also identified by prostitutes who were frequenting Malmskillnadsgatan in Stockholm along with Da Costa. Gonerka died in 1987, three years after Da Costa.[18]

Another suspect was Karl Vinoff Reinhold Olausson, born 1943 and dead 2005. Olausson, also known in Sweden as "Vincent" and "the horse killer" after drowning three horses in a case of insurance fraud in 1990, lived at the time at the office of his moving company which was located on the same street where Da Costa's remains were found and was known to bring prostitutes to his home.[19] Olausson was also interrogated by the police as a suspect in the 1986 assassination of prime minister Olof Palme.[20] The 2015 book about the murder by Kim Larsson points to Olausson aka. "the horse killer" as perpetrator.[21]

Trials

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The first trial ended in a mistrial after the lay judges were interviewed for the newspaper Aftonbladet on 9 March 1988 and commented on the court's justification for its judicial decision.[22] In a second trial, the lower court asked the Swedish National Board of Health and Welfare to investigate the circumstances of the case[1] and found that da Costa's cause of death was unknown. As a result, the two defendants were acquitted, since it could not be established that da Costa died under suspicious circumstances. Although in its verdict the court found that the defendants had in fact dismembered the victim's body,[22] the statute of limitations for that crime had expired.[23]

On 23 May 1989, the Swedish authority for medical-negligence assessment rescinded the doctors' right to work, and its ruling was upheld in a 1991 appeal.[1] The doctors have appealed to several courts, including the Supreme Court of Sweden, the Supreme Administrative Court of Sweden (Regeringsrätten) and the European Court of Human Rights, none of which has overturned the ruling.[24]

Aftermath

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The case has been the focus of several books, investigative articles and television documentaries. Author Hanna Olsson published the book Cathrine och rättvisan ('Cathrine and the Justice') in 1990, highlighting the patriarchal nature of the justice system and how women in prostitution were not seen as reliable witnesses. Journalist Per Lindeberg published Döden är en man ('Death is a Man') in 1999, questioning the police investigation and contending that the men were victims of a miscarriage of justice caused partially by extensive media coverage. In 2003 journalist Lars Borgnäs published Sanningen är en sällsynt gäst ('Truth is a Rare Guest'), opposing Lindeberg's position and theorizing that da Costa was murdered by a serial killer.[25]

In 2006, the doctors demanded SEK 40 million (about US$4.8 million) in damages for loss of income during the years they could not practice and for defamation.[26][27] Their demand was refused when the Chancellor of Justice, who handles questions of voluntary damages, ruled that such a large claim should be handled by the courts.[28]

On 3 April 2007, the two men's attorney registered their claim for SEK 35 million in damages at the Attunda lower court.[29] On 30 November 2009, the trial of the Swedish state began, ending shortly before Christmas.[30][31] In an 18 February 2010 judgement, the court ruled that the doctors were not entitled to damages.[31][32]

Da Costa's murder has inspired multiple works of fiction, such as Stieg Larsson's internationally successful crime novel The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo[2] and works by Katarina Frostenson[33] and Sara Stridsberg.[34] The statute of limitations for the killing expired in 2009 and prosecutors suspended their investigations on 1 July that year.[6]

In November 2024, the Swedish public tv channel SVT1 showed a documentary titled "Dokument Inifrån: Det Svenska Styckmordet" (Documents from the Inside: The Swedish Dismemberment Murder). Dr. Härm was interviewed four times by SVT journalist Dan Josefsson and disclosed that he has lived as a recluse since 1985, has not held a regular job for similar time, and has a severe hearing disability following a suicide attempt.[35] Also in 2024, the now 91 year old Jovan Rajs confirmed that he stands by his accusations against Härm.[36]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f Wahlberg, Stefan (27 May 2014). "30 år senare har de inte fått upprättelse" [30 years later, they have not had redress]. Metro (in Swedish). Archived from the original on 13 July 2015. Retrieved 19 June 2015.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i Bindel, Julie (30 November 2010). "The real-life Swedish murder that inspired Stieg Larsson". The Daily Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Archived from the original on 6 October 2014. Retrieved 27 September 2014.
  3. ^ a b c d Burstein, Dan; de Keijzer, Arne; Holmberg, John-Henri (2011). The Tattooed Girl: The Enigma of Stieg Larsson and the Secrets Behind the Most Compelling Thrillers of Our Time. St. Martin's Griffin. p. 152. ISBN 978-0-312-61056-2. Retrieved 27 September 2014.
  4. ^ Nyheter, S. V. T. (11 December 2024). "Leif GW Persson om fallet med Catrine da Costa: Hög tid att man gör rätt för sig". SVT Nyheter (in Swedish). Retrieved 28 December 2024.
  5. ^ Costa-arkivet, da (23 April 2017). "Catrine da Costa". dacostarkivet (in Swedish). Retrieved 28 December 2024.
  6. ^ a b "Da Costa murder probe officially laid to rest". The Local. 11 July 2009. Archived from the original on 17 July 2020. Retrieved 17 July 2020.
  7. ^ Carström, Jenni (4 December 2024). "Jan Olsson: Teet Härm skickar kort till mig varje julafton". Magasinet Filter (in Swedish). Retrieved 26 December 2024.
  8. ^ "Styckmordet visar det gamla galna Sverige". www.aftonbladet.se (in Swedish). 27 November 2024. Retrieved 26 December 2024.
  9. ^ "De papperstunna bevisen som både friade och fällde läkarna". DN.se (in Swedish). 8 December 2024. Retrieved 26 December 2024.
  10. ^ Carström, Jenni (4 December 2024). "Jan Olsson: Teet Härm skickar kort till mig varje julafton". Magasinet Filter (in Swedish). Retrieved 26 December 2024.
  11. ^ "Styckmordet och vetenskapen". Forskning & Framsteg (in Swedish). 16 December 2024. Retrieved 26 December 2024.
  12. ^ a b c Foyen, Lars (9 March 1988). "Baby's testimony convicts doctors of murder". The Glasgow Herald. Stockholm. Reuters. p. 4. Archived from the original on 16 November 2021. Retrieved 14 July 2015.
  13. ^ Rydhagen, Maria (4 December 2024). "Märkliga parmiddagen innan styckmordsfallet". www.expressen.se (in Swedish). Retrieved 26 December 2024.
  14. ^ "Daddys blogg – Daddys". Daddys. Archived from the original on 18 June 2015. Retrieved 19 June 2015.
  15. ^ Dugdale, John (1 November 2013). "Inside job: 10 crime writers turned detective". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 15 July 2015. Retrieved 14 July 2015.
  16. ^ Frank Lindbladprofessor emeritus i barnpsykiatri, sakkunnigt vittne i styckmordsrättegången (20 December 2024). "Kulturdebatt. Barnpsykiatern i da Costa-fallet: Jag har aldrig uttalat mig om något styckmord". DN.se (in Swedish). Retrieved 26 December 2024.
  17. ^ Agell, Anders (24 November 2003). "Läkarna utsatta för rent justitiemord" [The doctors exposed to pure miscarriage of justice]. Dagens Nyheter (in Swedish). Archived from the original on 18 June 2015. Retrieved 19 June 2015.
  18. ^ "Fallet da Costa: Det här är Slaktaren". nyheter24.se (in Swedish). 30 November 2009. Retrieved 28 December 2024.
  19. ^ Costa-arkivet, da (23 April 2017). "Catrine da Costa". dacostarkivet (in Swedish). Retrieved 28 December 2024.
  20. ^ "hästdödaren". dacostarkivet (in Swedish). 20 January 2016. Retrieved 28 December 2024.
  21. ^ Larsson, Kim (9 March 2015). Styckmordet/epilogen: Nya fakta, reflektioner, fragment av en polisutredning (in Swedish). BoD - Books on Demand. ISBN 978-91-7463-667-3.
  22. ^ a b Rogeman, Anneli (10 January 2004). "Styckmordet har etsat sig fast i folksjälen" [The murder has been etched in the soul of the people]. Svenska Dagbladet (in Swedish). Archived from the original on 18 June 2015. Retrieved 19 June 2015.
  23. ^ Lindström, Lars (4 December 2009). "Styckmordet blev en rättegång mot svenska rättvisan" [The murder became a trial against Swedish justice]. Expressen (in Swedish). Archived from the original on 18 June 2015. Retrieved 19 June 2015.
  24. ^ Nyberg, Patrik (30 January 2010). "Patrik Nybergs intervju med obducenten" [Patrik Nyberg interview with the pathologist] (in Swedish). Nyhetsverket.se. Archived from the original on 18 June 2015. Retrieved 27 September 2014.
  25. ^ "Mordet på Catrine" [The murder of Catrine]. Dagens Nyheter (in Swedish). 16 August 2005. Archived from the original on 7 April 2007.
  26. ^ Melén, Johanna (3 April 2007). "Friades för styckmord – kräver miljonskadestånd" [Cleared of murder charges – calls for million crowns of damages]. Aftonbladet (in Swedish). Archived from the original on 20 June 2015. Retrieved 19 June 2015.
  27. ^ "Ett rättsfall som upprör – Styckmordet på Catrine da Costa" [A court case that upsets – The murder of Catrine da Costa] (in Swedish). Sveriges Television. 11 May 2005. Archived from the original on 20 June 2015. Retrieved 19 June 2015.
  28. ^ TT (18 February 2010). "Inget skadestånd för läkare" [No damages for doctors]. Svenska Dagbladet (in Swedish). Archived from the original on 21 June 2013. Retrieved 27 September 2014.
  29. ^ "Läkare friade för styckmord kräver skadestånd" [Doctor acquitted of murder claims damages]. Dagens Nyheter (in Swedish). 3 April 2007. Archived from the original on 7 April 2007.
  30. ^ TT (18 February 2010). "Inget skadestånd för läkare" [No damages for doctor]. Svenska Dagbladet (in Swedish). Archived from the original on 20 June 2015. Retrieved 19 June 2015.
  31. ^ a b "The Local – Sweden's News in English". The Local. Archived from the original on 6 October 2014. Retrieved 27 September 2014.
  32. ^ "No damages for docs in Da Costa murder case". The Local. 10 June 1984. Archived from the original on 5 October 2012. Retrieved 8 August 2012.
  33. ^ Witt-Brattström, Ebba. "Katarina Frostenson". Litteraturbanken. Retrieved 27 September 2020.
  34. ^ Rabe, Annina (14 September 2018). "Vackert, vackert om styckmord och kvinnohat". Expressen. Archived from the original on 7 August 2020. Retrieved 27 September 2020.
  35. ^ Nyheter, S. V. T. (27 November 2024). "Har levt isolerat i 40 år – nu berättar "Obducenten" Teet Härm i da Costa-fallet". SVT Nyheter (in Swedish). Retrieved 26 December 2024.
  36. ^ "Styckmordet och vetenskapen". Forskning & Framsteg (in Swedish). 16 December 2024. Retrieved 26 December 2024.

Further reading

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