1971 Söderhamn courthouse murders

Homeowner Gunnar Bengtsson (1909–1993) had met Cecilia Ekestang on 11 or 12 July 1965, when he was conducting haymaking.

The court of appeal reduced the compensation amount to SEK 3,950 and rejected the request for the return of the jewelry.

Lawspeaker Yngve Carlson made it to the threshold towards the corridor when he was hit by Bengtsson's bullets.

The court's staff had heard Bengtsson indicate many times that he would fight as far as he could against what he considered to be a miscarriage of justice.

Bengtsson directed the relative's car towards the police investigation center in the city centre.

During the crime scene investigation, a steel spring from the weapon and a muzzle brake were found.

According to Bengtsson himself, the triggering factor was that the woman made a facial expression just as they were about to enter the room and said something like "Now we're going to take more (money) from you...".

The explosive charge, which was placed just inside the front door of the property in Villsjön, Bengtsson's childhood home, contained, among other things, dynamite.

Lawspeaker Nils Baumbardt from Bollnäs decided on remanding and a psychiatric examination of Bengtsson.

Bengtsson claimed his innocence and that all of Sweden's prosecutors and courts had acted wrongly in his civil case and that all lawyers were indirectly responsible for the murders.

Bengtsson's defence lawyer Henning Sjöström had called seven witnesses and county prosecutor K.G.

Bengtsson himself said that the event was a consequence of him having to endure stress that destroyed his sanity and that it was others who should take responsibility for what happened.

After the murders, he had intended to throw the gun into the river but didn't dare because a child would get hold of it.

The district court found that Bengtsson committed the acts under the influence of mental illness.

The court emphasized that he obviously, as the National Board of Health and Welfare also highlighted, as a result of the disease is dangerous for the society.

[11] In 1975, Henning Sjöström's novel Mördaren i byn ("The killer in the village") was published, which was inspired by, and showed similarities with, the courthouse murders.

Expressen's head of culture at the time Bo Strömstedt believed that Sjöström was doxing his clients and perceived this action as deeply unethical.

This led to an intense debate between the lawyer and the publicist, and Sjöström sued the newspaper's then-editor-in-chief Per Wrigstad [sv] for gross defamation, a lawsuit that was, however, withdrawn.

In addition, in 1976 Bengtsson sued Sjöström for defamation in a freedom of the press case, where Ernst-Hugo Järegård participated in the trial by reading aloud from the book.