One of Sweden’s Most Notorious “Serial Killers” About to be Released!

 

Once considered Sweden’s worst serial killer, 63-year-old Sture Bergwall’s (a.k.a. Thomas Quick) last of 8 murder convictions was overturned today after he withdrew his confessions.

Bergwall confessed to more than 30 murders over the past three decades, but was convicted of only 8 of them. He later said, however, that he had lied to investigators because he craved attention and was heavily medicated. Retrials were ordered for all 8 cases, but prosecutors said that without the confessions they didn’t have enough evidence to go back to court. Today they dropped the final case, which involved the death of a 15-year-old boy who had disappeared in northern Sweden in 1976.

Bergwall was convicted of the boy’s murder in 1994 even though there was no technical evidence linking him to the crime, and the cause of death could not be established. In what will surely come to be known as Sweden’s greatest miscarriage of justice of the modern era; Attorney General, Anders Perklev, told reporters in Stockholm that the debacle “has to be considered as a big failure for the justice system.” Bergwall will undergo psychiatric evaluation to determine his release date from the secure mental health unit where he has been held since 1991.

Shootout in Hackensack, NJ Leaves Man in Critical Condition

It all started last night at around 1:00a.m., when Hackensack, NJ Police Department received a call that there was an armed man in the Railroad Avenue and Newman Street housing project. Sgt. James Dalton and Officer Franklin Bay, who were patrolling on foot, responded. The suspect, identified as Robert Leonardis, 22 (from Hackensack), was confronted by the officers at the corner of the two streets, and a foot-chase ensued. Two additional officers arrived as Leonardis fled the scene. That’s when Leonardis opened fire on one of the patrol cars, striking the hood and windshield that Officer Joseph Ayoubi was driving, which went through the windshield, narrowly missing Officer Ayoubi. Officer Ayoubi slammed on his breaks, which caused Officer Brett McCarthy, was driving closely behind, to slam into the back of Ayoubi’s vehicle. 

The officers returned fire and struck Leonardis multiple times, dropping him at the corner of First and Sussex streets, where he was apprehended. Officer Ayoubi suffered a facial injury, started bleeding, and believed he had been shot due to the impact he had felt. However, it was determined the injury was a result of a piece of windshield and not from a bullet. No officers were hit, and they were treated and released with minor injuries. Leonardis was taken to Hackensack University Medical Center where he underwent surgery and remains in critical condition. 

                                            See Raw Police Footage at the Scene (below)