New findings in Aftonbladet's investigation suggest Alexandra Fossmo was already dead when shot by nanny Sara Svensson in 2004. Prosecutor Elin Blank will now review the investigation. Former Knutby pastor Peter Gembäck welcomes justice for Svensson but fears Helge Fossmo's acquittal.
On January 10, 2004, pastor's wife Alexandra Fossmo, 23, was found dead in her bed in Knutby. Nanny Sara Svensson, then 26, was convicted of the murder, and pastor Helge Fossmo of instigation to life imprisonment. Fossmo was conditionally released in 2022 after serving two-thirds of his sentence.
Aftonbladet's investigation in the program 200 Seconds highlights several details questioning Svensson's guilt. Among them, shot angles, distances, and lack of bleeding at the hip wound suggest Fossmo was already dead. Svensson has described in interviews that "nothing" happened after the first shot, but in police interrogations, she stated the victim made a groaning sound or said "ouch".
Peter Gembäck, who was a pastor in the Knutby congregation during the drama and himself convicted in 2016 for assault and unlawful coercion, comments on the investigation. "I am worried that, on a legal technicality, Helge Fossmo will be acquitted and sit with 30 million in damages," he says. He wishes for justice for Svensson: "Sara has suffered enough."
Prosecutor Elin Blank denies that the investigation was covered up and will request technical protocols to address the claims. "We have not withheld any material," she says. Lawyer Jens Lapidus believes Svensson's conviction should be retried for the justice system's credibility.
Åsa Waldau, Alexandra's sister and former "Bride of Christ," dismisses the discussion: "Drop this and move on. It's been 20 years. Lay a flower on her grave instead."
Helge Fossmo's in-laws welcome the review and suggest new interrogations with Waldau regarding earlier events in Knutby.
