Catrine da Costa
Encyclopedia
Catrine da Costa was a Swedish
woman found dead in Solna
, north of Stockholm
, in the late summer of 1984. Her body had been dismembered
and left in plastic bags that were found on two occasions, 18 July and 8 August , one kilometer apart. The case is mostly known as Styckmordsrättegången (English: The dismemberment murder trial). Her cause of death has not been established due to vital organs and her head not being found.
(10 June) she disappeared. It wasn't until 18 July that the first parts of her dismembered body were discovered beneath a highway overpass just outside Stockholm, in the neighboring municipality Solna. The body was identified by fingerprints. The head, internal organs, one breast and the genitalia had been removed and have never been found. No cause of death could be determined from the body parts found.
Shortly thereafter, a pathologist working at a forensics station at Karolinska Institutet
, was suspected of the crime. He was known to have met prostitutes on several occasions and his workplace was situated in between the two places where the victim's body was found. He was arrested and subsequently released.
During this time, the wife of a general practitioner
alerted the police that their 17 month old daughter could be the victim of incest. However, exams by pediatricians found no evidence of any abuse. The GP and his wife separated in late 1984.
Later in 1985, the wife contacted the police again with the news that the daughter had began talking about being witness to a dismemberment. As the pathologist and the general practitioner knew each other, the police soon connected the cases. Much of the following trials were based on the (at the time of the examination) 2½ year old child's stories, as the mother of the child interpreted them together with an evaluation by a child psychologist and a child psychiatrist.
In 1986, the resources of the police following the murder of PM Olof Palme
were streched thin and the dismemberment case was placed on hiatus until 1987. The two physicians were arrested in the fall of 1987 and were brought on trial in January 1988.
on 9 March 1988 and commented on the court's justification that would be used for the judicial decision. In the new trial, the lower judicial court asked the Swedish National Board of Health and Welfare
to investigate the circumstances in the case. They found that the cause of death could not be established. As a result of this, the two men were found not guilty, since it could not be established that she'd died in suspicious circumstances. In the verdict however, the court wrote that it found that the two defendants had actually dismembered the victim's body. Despite this, the fact that the statute of limitation for that crime had passed they were acquitted.
On May 23 1989, the national authority for medical negligence assessment decided to recall the two doctors' right to work as such, which was later, in 1991, finally decided after appeal. The two men have since sought appeal at several instances, including the Supreme Court
in Sweden, the Supreme Administrative Court (Regeringsrätten) and the European Court of Human Rights
, which all have decided not to grant them their wishes.
The case has been the focus of several books, investigative articles, and television documentaries. The journalist Per Lindeberg published his book Döden är en man (Death is a man) in 1999 where he questioned the entire police investigation and believed that the two men had been victims of a miscarriage of justice, partly caused by the enormous media coverage. In 2003, another journalist, Lars Borgnäs, published his book Sanningen är en sällsynt gäst (The truth is a rare guest) which took the opposing side of Lindeberg's and theorized that the murder was done by a serial killer.
In 2006, the two men demanded 35 million SEK
in damages for loss of income during the years they couldn't practice their profession and for the ordeal they'd gone through. Their demands were later turned down when the Chancellor of Justice, who handles questions of voluntary damages, answered that a large monetary claim like this should be handled by the courts.
On 3 April 2007, the two men's legal representative registered their claims for 35 million SEK
in damages at Attunda lower judicial court. On 30 November of 2009, the trial against the Swedish state began, and ended shortly before Christmas the same year. The court's decision was revealed on 18 February 2010 and determined that the doctors were not entitled to any damages.
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
woman found dead in Solna
Solna Municipality
Solna Municipality is a municipality in Stockholm County in east central Sweden, located just north of the capital Stockholm. Its seat is located in the 'city' of Solna....
, north of Stockholm
Stockholm
Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
, in the late summer of 1984. Her body had been dismembered
Dismemberment
Dismemberment is the act of cutting, tearing, pulling, wrenching or otherwise removing, the limbs of a living thing. It may be practiced upon human beings as a form of capital punishment, as a result of a traumatic accident, or in connection with murder, suicide, or cannibalism...
and left in plastic bags that were found on two occasions, 18 July and 8 August , one kilometer apart. The case is mostly known as Styckmordsrättegången (English: The dismemberment murder trial). Her cause of death has not been established due to vital organs and her head not being found.
Background
Da Costa had been working as a prostitute in Stockholm during the spring 1984. During PentecostPentecost
Pentecost is a prominent feast in the calendar of Ancient Israel celebrating the giving of the Law on Sinai, and also later in the Christian liturgical year commemorating the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the disciples of Christ after the Resurrection of Jesus...
(10 June) she disappeared. It wasn't until 18 July that the first parts of her dismembered body were discovered beneath a highway overpass just outside Stockholm, in the neighboring municipality Solna. The body was identified by fingerprints. The head, internal organs, one breast and the genitalia had been removed and have never been found. No cause of death could be determined from the body parts found.
Shortly thereafter, a pathologist working at a forensics station at Karolinska Institutet
Karolinska Institutet
Karolinska institutet is a medical university in Solna within the Stockholm urban area, Sweden, and one of Europe's largest medical universities...
, was suspected of the crime. He was known to have met prostitutes on several occasions and his workplace was situated in between the two places where the victim's body was found. He was arrested and subsequently released.
During this time, the wife of a general practitioner
General practitioner
A general practitioner is a medical practitioner who treats acute and chronic illnesses and provides preventive care and health education for all ages and both sexes. They have particular skills in treating people with multiple health issues and comorbidities...
alerted the police that their 17 month old daughter could be the victim of incest. However, exams by pediatricians found no evidence of any abuse. The GP and his wife separated in late 1984.
Later in 1985, the wife contacted the police again with the news that the daughter had began talking about being witness to a dismemberment. As the pathologist and the general practitioner knew each other, the police soon connected the cases. Much of the following trials were based on the (at the time of the examination) 2½ year old child's stories, as the mother of the child interpreted them together with an evaluation by a child psychologist and a child psychiatrist.
In 1986, the resources of the police following the murder of PM Olof Palme
Olof Palme
Sven Olof Joachim Palme was a Swedish politician. A long-time protegé of Prime Minister Tage Erlander, Palme led the Swedish Social Democratic Party from 1969 to his assassination, and was a two-term Prime Minister of Sweden, heading a Privy Council Government from 1969 to 1976 and a cabinet...
were streched thin and the dismemberment case was placed on hiatus until 1987. The two physicians were arrested in the fall of 1987 and were brought on trial in January 1988.
The trials
The first trial was declared a mistrial, after a lay juror of the court had been interviewed in AftonbladetAftonbladet
Aftonbladet is a Swedish tabloid founded by Lars Johan Hierta in 1830 during the modernization of Sweden. It is one of the larger daily newspapers in the Nordic countries. Aftonbladet is owned by the Swedish Trade Union Confederation and Norwegian media group Schibsted, and its editorial page...
on 9 March 1988 and commented on the court's justification that would be used for the judicial decision. In the new trial, the lower judicial court asked the Swedish National Board of Health and Welfare
Swedish National Board of Health and Welfare
The Swedish National Board of Health and Welfare is a Swedish government agency. The agency was the result of a merge between the Swedish Royal Medical Board and the Swedish Royal Board of Social Affairs in 1968....
to investigate the circumstances in the case. They found that the cause of death could not be established. As a result of this, the two men were found not guilty, since it could not be established that she'd died in suspicious circumstances. In the verdict however, the court wrote that it found that the two defendants had actually dismembered the victim's body. Despite this, the fact that the statute of limitation for that crime had passed they were acquitted.
On May 23 1989, the national authority for medical negligence assessment decided to recall the two doctors' right to work as such, which was later, in 1991, finally decided after appeal. The two men have since sought appeal at several instances, including the Supreme Court
Supreme court
A supreme court is the highest court within the hierarchy of many legal jurisdictions. Other descriptions for such courts include court of last resort, instance court, judgment court, high court, or apex court...
in Sweden, the Supreme Administrative Court (Regeringsrätten) and the European Court of Human Rights
European Court of Human Rights
The European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg is a supra-national court established by the European Convention on Human Rights and hears complaints that a contracting state has violated the human rights enshrined in the Convention and its protocols. Complaints can be brought by individuals or...
, which all have decided not to grant them their wishes.
The case has been the focus of several books, investigative articles, and television documentaries. The journalist Per Lindeberg published his book Döden är en man (Death is a man) in 1999 where he questioned the entire police investigation and believed that the two men had been victims of a miscarriage of justice, partly caused by the enormous media coverage. In 2003, another journalist, Lars Borgnäs, published his book Sanningen är en sällsynt gäst (The truth is a rare guest) which took the opposing side of Lindeberg's and theorized that the murder was done by a serial killer.
In 2006, the two men demanded 35 million SEK
Swedish krona
The krona has been the currency of Sweden since 1873. Both the ISO code "SEK" and currency sign "kr" are in common use; the former precedes or follows the value, the latter usually follows it, but especially in the past, it sometimes preceded the value...
in damages for loss of income during the years they couldn't practice their profession and for the ordeal they'd gone through. Their demands were later turned down when the Chancellor of Justice, who handles questions of voluntary damages, answered that a large monetary claim like this should be handled by the courts.
On 3 April 2007, the two men's legal representative registered their claims for 35 million SEK
Swedish krona
The krona has been the currency of Sweden since 1873. Both the ISO code "SEK" and currency sign "kr" are in common use; the former precedes or follows the value, the latter usually follows it, but especially in the past, it sometimes preceded the value...
in damages at Attunda lower judicial court. On 30 November of 2009, the trial against the Swedish state began, and ended shortly before Christmas the same year. The court's decision was revealed on 18 February 2010 and determined that the doctors were not entitled to any damages.
Books about the case
- Olsson, Hanna - Catrine och rättvisan, 1990
- Lindeberg, Per - Döden är en man, 1999
- Rajs, Jovan & Hjertén, Kristina - Ombud för de tystade, 2001
- Borgnäs, Lars - Sanningen är en sällsynt gäst, 2003
- Lindeberg, Per - Döden är en man, 2008 (updated pocket-version)
External links
Radio documentary about Catrin da Costa - Sveriges RadioSveriges Radio
Sveriges Radio AB – Swedish Radio Ltd – is Sweden's national publicly funded radio broadcaster. The Swedish public-broadcasting system is in many respects modelled after the one used in the United Kingdom, and Sveriges Radio - like Sveriges Television - shares many characteristics with...