Victor Gunnarsson
Encyclopedia
Victor Gunnarsson was a former Swedish right-wing extremist, who was a suspect in the 1986 Olof Palme assassination
. He was later in turn murdered in 1993 in North Carolina
by former police officer Lamont C. Underwood.
on February 28, 1986, in Stockholm
, Sweden
. He was taken in for questioning a first time on March 8, but released the same evening, but taken in again on March 12. On March 17, he was taken into custody and the prosecutor made a request to the court to have him detained. After evidence against him had weakened, primarily due to less weight being placed on identification near the scene by one eyewitness, he was released on April 11. However, he continued to be the subject of continued telephone surveillance for some periods of time.
Gunnarsson had connections to various extremist groups and was a member of the European Workers Party
, the Swedish branch of the LaRouche movement
, for a year before being kicked out in 1985. Also, anti-Palme pamphlets from this party, which had Palme as a target of much of their propaganda, were found in his home outside Stockholm.
about 86 miles from his apartment in Salisbury, North Carolina
. He was shot twice in the head with a .22 caliber firearm. The time of death is placed between December 3 and December 4, 1993. Former policeman Lamont C. Underwood was convicted of Gunnarsson's murder in 1997 and sentenced to life imprisonment plus 40 years, however, in an opinion rendered on Dec. 23, 2009, the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals, based in Richmond, Va., ordered that he be granted a new trial or be released from jail in 180 days. Underwood is currently incarcerated in Marion Correctional Institution in North Carolina.
and the Discovery Channel
series The New Detectives
.
Olof Palme assassination
The assassination of Olof Palme , the Prime Minister of Sweden, took place on 28 February 1986 in Stockholm, Sweden, at 23:21 hours Central European Time . Palme was fatally wounded by gunshots while walking home from a cinema with his wife Lisbet Palme on the central Stockholm street Sveavägen...
. He was later in turn murdered in 1993 in North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
by former police officer Lamont C. Underwood.
Assassination of Olof Palme
Gunnarsson (labeled in the media 33-åringen, "the 33-year-old") was an early suspect for the assassination of Olof PalmeOlof 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...
on February 28, 1986, in 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...
, Sweden
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....
. He was taken in for questioning a first time on March 8, but released the same evening, but taken in again on March 12. On March 17, he was taken into custody and the prosecutor made a request to the court to have him detained. After evidence against him had weakened, primarily due to less weight being placed on identification near the scene by one eyewitness, he was released on April 11. However, he continued to be the subject of continued telephone surveillance for some periods of time.
Gunnarsson had connections to various extremist groups and was a member of the European Workers Party
European Workers Party
The European Workers' Party is a very small political party in Sweden without parliamentary representation. The party is the Swedish section of the LaRouche Movement.-History:...
, the Swedish branch of the LaRouche movement
LaRouche movement
The LaRouche movement is an international political and cultural network that promotes Lyndon LaRouche and his ideas. It has included scores of organizations and companies around the world. Their activities include campaigning, private intelligence gathering, and publishing numerous periodicals,...
, for a year before being kicked out in 1985. Also, anti-Palme pamphlets from this party, which had Palme as a target of much of their propaganda, were found in his home outside Stockholm.
Death
Gunnarsson's nearly naked body was found in a wooded area called Deep GapDeep Gap, North Carolina
Deep Gap is an unincorporated community located in Watauga County, North Carolina, United States. The community is named after the natural gap, called Deep Gap, at Fire Scale Mountain, where the Blue Ridge Parkway crosses over US 421...
about 86 miles from his apartment in Salisbury, North Carolina
Salisbury, North Carolina
Salisbury is a city in Rowan County in North Carolina, a state of the United States of America. The population was 33,663 in the 2010 Census . It is the county seat of Rowan County...
. He was shot twice in the head with a .22 caliber firearm. The time of death is placed between December 3 and December 4, 1993. Former policeman Lamont C. Underwood was convicted of Gunnarsson's murder in 1997 and sentenced to life imprisonment plus 40 years, however, in an opinion rendered on Dec. 23, 2009, the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals, based in Richmond, Va., ordered that he be granted a new trial or be released from jail in 180 days. Underwood is currently incarcerated in Marion Correctional Institution in North Carolina.
In the media
Gunnarsson's murder was featured on the Court TV series Forensic FilesForensic Files
Forensic Files is an American documentary-style series which reveals how forensic science is used to solve violent crimes, mysterious accidents, and even outbreaks of illness. The show is broadcast on truTV, narrated by Peter Thomas, and produced by Medstar Television, in association with truTV...
and the Discovery Channel
Discovery Channel
Discovery Channel is an American satellite and cable specialty channel , founded by John Hendricks and distributed by Discovery Communications. It is a publicly traded company run by CEO David Zaslav...
series The New Detectives
The New Detectives
The New Detectives: Case Studies in Forensic Science is a documentary true crime television show that aired two to three different cases in forensic science per episode. Episode reruns currently air on the Discovery Channel, TLC and the Investigation Discovery network...
.