Yenon Levi (Archives)
Photo: Zvi Roger
Swedish man convicted of killing Israeli granted new trial
Appeals court says material from police investigation not presented during 1997 trial raises doubts about whether 59-year-old serial killer Sture Bergwall is guilty of murdering tourist Yenon Levi in 1988
A Swedish court on Thursday ordered a retrial for a serial killer convicted of a 1988 murder of an Israeli tourist.
Svea Appeals Court said that new evidence raised doubts about whether Sture Bergwall, the country's most notorious serial killer convicted of seven other murders, is guilty of the murder of Yenon Levi.
The appeals court said material from the police investigation that was not presented to the court during the 1997 trial raises doubts over Bergwall's guilt.
The material shows that Bergwall's accounts of the crime scene, which were used to support his confession in court, varied greatly.
Bergwall withdrew his confessions of the Levi murder and seven others killings in a TV interview last year, saying he was under the influence of tranquilizers when they were made. He filed a petition with the court for the Levi case in April and is expected to continue seeking retrials for all the murders.
The 59-year-old Swede, who changed his name from Thomas Quick, has been convicted of five murders in Sweden between 1976 and 1988. He was also found guilty of three murders in Norway and was sentenced to psychiatric care in the 1990s.
Shortly after the appeals court decision, a person claiming to be Bergwall posted a message on social networking site Twitter saying he was "incredibly relieved, so incredibly happy."
The head of the psychiatric ward, Ulf Christoffersson, confirmed that Bergwall has access to internet at the clinic.
