The 20-year-old woman was in her seventh month of pregnancy when she was found murdered in her apartment in central Örebro on April 29 last year. The forensic examination shows that she was subjected to prolonged strangulation.
The 22-year-old was arrested the same day, suspected of the murder. The man has consistently denied any involvement, but he is linked to the crime through a long series of indications.
"It has been a comprehensive investigation. The collective value of the evidence presented in the case is so high that it is beyond reasonable doubt that the man killed the woman," says the presiding judge, Court of Appeal Judge Carina Tolke, according to a press release from the Göta Court of Appeal.
The prosecutor has argued that the murder is honor-related, as the man did not want to tell his family about his relationship with the woman. However, the Court of Appeal does not consider it proven that the man had an honor motive, as the information in the case points in different directions on those points. The court still concludes that the man should be sentenced to life imprisonment.
Aggravating circumstances include, among other things, that it was a prolonged sequence of events, and that the murder also resulted in the death of the fetus.
