Overprosecutor Lennart Guné has ruled that it was wrong to identify Stig Engström, known as the Skandiaman, as Olof Palme's murderer. The investigation remains closed with no new evidence to reopen it. Reactions from relatives and experts range from relief to criticism of the prior decision.
On December 18, 2025, overprosecutor Lennart Guné announced that there was insufficient evidence to identify Stig Engström as the perpetrator in the 1986 murder of Prime Minister Olof Palme. The decision overturns Chief Prosecutor Krister Petersson's identification on June 10, 2020, when Engström was named a suspect after a 34-year investigation. Engström died in 2000 and could not defend himself, drawing criticism.
Guné stresses that no known circumstances justify reopening the preliminary investigation. The family of Ulrika Glaser Rydberg, whose father was suspected of lending a weapon to Engström in Thomas Pettersson's book "The Unlikely Murderer," welcomes the news. "This is a day of joy," says Ulrika Glaser Rydberg, who knew Engström well and describes him as "an outgoing, jovial, and creative person." She plans to light a candle at his grave and expresses sorrow over her family's unnecessary suffering from the 2020 press conference and Netflix series.
Criminologist Leif GW Persson calls the 2020 announcement "a disaster" and welcomes Guné's conclusion as the end of the investigation. He mentions other suspects like Christer A but warns against accusing the dead. Persson doubts the value of DNA from Palme's coat, now held by relatives and potentially bearing traces from the murderer who placed a hand over it during the attack.
Olof Palme's son Joakim Palme, a professor of political science, views Petersson's decision as courageous: "I think Krister Petersson showed some courage." He notes that Engström was at the scene and gave testimony hard to dismiss, but agrees no new evidence warrants reopening the case. Brother Mårten Palme expresses surprise at the unknown review but no disappointment.
