16 years for Gothenburg woman’s ‘ruthless’ killing

The Gothenburg District Court ruled in mid-April that Ephrem Yohannes was guilty for what prosecutors described as a “brutal” killing.

The court sentenced Yohannes on Friday after he had undergone a psychiatric evaluation which concluded he wasn’t suffering from any mental illness at the time of the killing.

After Yohannes serves out his sentence, he will then be expelled from Sweden for life.

In addition, he’s been ordered to pay 600,000 kronor ($96,000) in compensation to the victim’s family.

“I’m satisfied with the conviction and that he’s going to be deported. But I think the penalty could have been a bit higher,” prosecutor Stina Lundqvist told the TT news agency.

She has yet to decide whether or not she will appeal the ruling.

“But I’m leaning toward doing it and in that case I’m going to argue for a tougher sentence. I think he should have gotten a life sentence.”

Krantz and her killer were riding the same tram to the Hisingen neighbourhood near Gothenburg in western Sweden in September 2010.

Shortly thereafter Krantz was found raped and murdered in a wooded area not far from the tram stop.

According to the prosecutors, the attack was one of “extreme ruthlessness”.

Yohannes, who has been in custody since October and formally charged in March, has continually claimed his innocence.

According to his version of events, he came across two other men who were raping Krantz and tried to intervene, but was then chased away by the alleged perpetrators.

In its ruling, the district court wrote that the crime was so severe that the consequences should be 18 years in prison. But because Yohannes will be kicked out of the country and has two small children, the court reduced the sentence by two years.