Alexandra Mezher, 22, was stabbed to death while working alone at a home for young refugees in Mölndal last January. When police arrived at the scene she had multiple knife wounds in her back and thigh, and the perpetrator had overpowered another resident.
Mezher was taken to hospital, but later died from a deep knife wound in her thigh. The man who has now been sentenced for her death was a resident at the care home at the time.
A psychological evaluation from Rättsmedicinalverket – the national forensic medicine agency tasked with examining suspects linked to Swedish crimes – showed that the perpatrator was suffering from a serious mental disorder at both the time of the crime as well as during the investigation.
He has been sentenced to psychiatric care in a facility for offenders as a result, with a special review required for his discharge. If discharged he will also be deported and forbidden from returning to Sweden until 2026.
The man has also been ordered to pay almost 300,000 kronor ($34,970) in compensation to Mezher's family.
And the family plan on appealing the manslaughter verdict, according to their legal counsel.
“The court does not believe this was a murder, but we do. We will move forward from there,” Hans Gaestadius told Swedish tabloid Aftonbladet.
Initial information suggested the man was only 15, but an investigation by Sweden’s Migration Agency later showed that he was aged 18 or over.
Another resident who tried to intervene had a knife directed towards him by the attacker, but escaped without injury.
An investigation into potential violations of health and safety laws sparked by the revelation that Mezher was working alone at the time of her death is still ongoing.
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