Become your own Sherlock Holmes, match your observations against known facts.

Sveavägen 28/2 1986

Table of Contents

• Become your own Sherlock Holmes, match your observations against known facts.
• Suspected persons:
  • 1. Christer Pettersson
  • 2. Stig Engström (“The Skandian Man”)
• 3. Christer Andersson (Christer A)
  • 4. “The Grandman”
  • Observation of suspicious person
  • The signal element from Mårten Palme (summarized):
  • Significance for the investigation
• Holding points:
• The day of the murder minute-by-minute
• After the murder

• A lone Palme hater? Probably obsessed with guns, possibly with a Smith & Wesson Magnum.
• Or an addict and/or mentally ill person with hatred of society. Like the murder of Anna Lind or a murder and a planned murder of the Center leader Annie Lööf Almedalen Week.
• Or a conspiracy with a political motive, like the police/military trail, the PKK or a foreign power. The trail is investigated with this hike.

• https://maps.app.goo.gl/p3HSvktPEBZs6c766

Suspected persons:

1. Christer Pettersson

• Background: A petty criminal with a drug problem. No experience with weapons.
• Motive: Unknown; some theories suggest that he may have confused Palme with another person. Possibly influenced by an acquaintance from prison, the so-called Nacka bomber Lars Tingström .
• Development: Convicted in the district court in 1989 but later acquitted in the court of appeal due to lack of technical evidence. He was singled out by Lisbeth Palme.
• Status: Freed; died 2004.

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2. Stig Engström (“The Skandian Man”)

• Background: Graphic designer who worked at Skandia, next to the murder scene.
• Motive: Possible political hatred towards Palme; mental instability.
• Development: First named as a suspect in 2020 by prosecutor Krister Petersson.
• Evidence: No technical evidence, but his movement patterns and information were considered contradictory.
• Status: Deceased in 2000. The investigation was closed in June 2020 with him as a suspect.
• Arguments that suggest that Stig Engström was the murderer:
  Was at the scene immediately after the murder . Engström worked at Skandia and had his office right at the murder scene. He clocked out just a few minutes before the murder, which means that he may have been at the scene at exactly the right time.
• 
  His own testimonies are contradictory . Engström gave several interviews and told about the incident, but his information changed over time and was contradicted by other witnesses. This may indicate that he was trying to create an alternative story about his presence.
  The clothes match the description
• 
  Some witnesses described a man in a dark coat, similar to the one Engström wore. This has been interpreted as meaning that Engström may have been the perpetrator who then remained at the scene and pretended to be a witness.
  Had access to weapons
• 
  According to some information, Engström was a member of a shooting club and may have had knowledge of weapons, although no weapon linked to him has been found.
  Attention-seeking personality
• 
  Engström is said to have had a need to be seen and to have seen an opportunity to get attention by participating in the investigation – a behavior that some believe fits with a perpetrator who remains at the crime scene.
  
  Other rguments that speak against Stig Engström being the murderer:
  No technical evidence
  There are no fingerprints, no weapon, no clothes, and no DNA evidence that ties Engström to the murder.
  Several witnesses contradict that he was the perpetrator
  Most witnesses at the scene described a perpetrator who quickly ran from the scene. Engström was rather a person who was seen to stay behind , which is not consistent with the escape behavior.
  Mental and physical health
  Engström was 52 years old, had poor fitness and back problems. Some question whether he was physically able to carry out the murder and then run from the scene without being seen by more people.
  No motive has been proven
  There has been no clear motive for why Engström would have wanted to murder Olof Palme.
  The police dismissed him early
  Engström was heard as early as 1986 but was deemed an unimportant witness. If he was guilty, one might ask why he voluntarily contacted the media and the police.
  
  Summary:
  The theory about Engström is largely based on indirect evidence : his presence, contradictory testimonies and a possible motive linked to narcissism. At the same time, concrete evidence
  is lacking – no weapon, no confession, no technical connection to the crime. The prosecutor chose to close the investigation
  2020 on the grounds that Engström was the most likely perpetrator, but since he was dead (died in 2000), no charges could be brought.

3. Christer Andersson (Christer A)

• At the time of the murder, he was living on Hälsingegatan, within walking distance of the murder scene.

• He was the owner of a Smith & Wesson .357 Magnum with a six-inch barrel. He was a skilled marksman, winner of a spot-shooting club.
• He was in illegal possession of this weapon, which was reported to the police, but he never turned it in. The weapon has never been recovered, making it impossible to technically rule it out as the murder weapon.
• Christer A suffered from serious mental health problems , including paranoid and aggressive tendencies. He was perceived by some as unstable and dangerous , which may strengthen the suspicion of a violent act.
• It is known that Christer A had a hatred of Palme , something that is documented. His political views and frustration may have contributed to a motive.
• He ignored two summonses in 1990 to test-fire the Magnure revolver. His explanation about the sale of the weapon in 1992 was not considered credible.
• He stated that he was bedridden at home in the days before, during and after the murder. This is contradicted by other investigations.
• His appearance, posture and manner of movement show astonishing consistency with the information about Olof Palme’s assassin.
• When the police finally confronted him in 2008 to ask questions about his weapons and possible involvement in the murder, he shot himself . This could be interpreted as a sign of guilt – although suicide can have other explanations.
• No technical evidence can link Christer A to the murder.
• Videos .

4. “The Grandman”

Observation of suspicious person

• Mårten Palme was going to the movies with his girlfriend and some friends (not with his parents).
• He stated that he noticed a lone man standing outside the Grand .
• He reacted because the man seemed to be standing around watching or waiting for someone – which caught his attention even before the murder took place.
• After the murder, Mårten realized that this could have been relevant, and he contacted the police shortly after the murder to report the sighting.

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 The signal element from Mårten Palme (summarized):

• Man aged 35–40
• 180–185 cm tall
• Normal body type
• Dressed in a dark coat
• Had an angular face
• Seemed to be watching people coming to or leaving the cinema

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Significance for the investigation

Mårten Palme observed a person called “Grandmannen” . Mårten’s testimony did not lead to any identification , even though the police worked with phantom images and searched for people who matched the description. No person has been reliably linked to this sighting.

He was seen outside the Grand cinema on Sveavägen in Stockholm on the evening of February 28, 1986 – that is, before the murder . He was there before the film started (i.e. before approximately 9 p.m.), and some witnesses believe that he remained there for a longer time , which made him conspicuous.

1. Behavior:
   • He seemed to be waiting for someone or watching people coming to or leaving the cinema.
   • His behavior was perceived by many as nervous or suspicious – he was pacing back and forth and seemed to be observing people.
2. Signal elements:
   • There are several varying descriptions , but he was generally described as:
     • Man in his 30s to 40s
     • Approximately 180 cm long
     • Dark or medium blonde hair, sometimes referred to as slicked back
     • Wore dark clothing , sometimes referred to as a coat or jacket
     • Some witnesses mentioned a briefcase or bag
     • Many speculated that Grandmannen could have been a spy or accomplice , monitoring Palme’s movements.
     • It has never been determined whether Grandmannen was directly connected to the murder , but suspicion arose because he disappeared without being identified and was behaving strangely.

Holding points:

• Not even the Palme couple knew they were going to the movies before 8 o’clock, not even sure which movie.
• Palme only decided after the cinema that they would go for a walk, to drink tea at his son’s or walk along Sveavägen, perhaps all the way to his home. Which speaks against a planned conspiracy.
• A follower may have spotted the Palme couple before, during or after the cinema. Shadowed the couple, perhaps crossing Sveavägen at Tunnelgatan (Olof Palmes gata). To wait for Palme there.

The day of the murder minute-by-minute

• 6:00 PM approximately. Palme leaves the workplace at Rosenbad. Possibly between 5-6 PM.
• 18:00-18:30 approximately. Christer Pettersson called the Oxen gambling club from his home, according to his own information and telephone records.
• 18:30 . Västerlånggatan 31. Olof Palme arrives home at Västerlånggatan 31 in the Old Town after the working day. Presumed pedestrian route . He eats dinner and makes a few phone calls 2 5 .
• 20:00 . The Palme couple decide to go to the cinema. The decision is made between them 2 .
• 8:00 PM approx. Stig Engström works overtime in his office in Skandiahuset Sveavägen 44, with the main entrance on Sveavägen and the office facing Luntmakargatan.
• 20:30 . Västerlånggatan -T-station. Old Town. The couple leaves home and walks on foot to the metro station Gamla stan 2 5 . Witnesses believe they have seen suspicious followers. However, according to the police, there is nothing to support this. Nor is it that these suspicious people were in Old Town. Possibly an agent in the conspiracy theories.
• 20:42 . Makrna Palme gets on a subway train towards Rådmansgatan 2 5 .
• 8:45 p.m. approximately. The witness, a young woman, sees a middle-aged man in dark clothes nervously peering at Grand. He was there when she entered the cinema and was still there when she left after the film . The description overlaps with Mårten Palme’s observation.
• 20:47 . They arrive at the Rådmansgatan metro station (Sveavägen) and walk to the Grand cinema at Sveavägen 46. 2 5 .
• 21:00 . The couple meets their son Mårten and his girlfriend outside the cinema. Olof Palme buys tickets for the film  The Mozart Brothers 2 5 .
• 21:00, Before the cinema, Mårten Palme draws attention to a suspicious person, in the investigation called Grandmannen.
• Around 9:00 PM. Another witness sees a man in dark clothes smoking outside the Grand, but does not appear to be waiting for anyone.
• 21:05 approx. Stig Engstöm is allowed into Skandia after being on Sveavägen. Smells of alcohol according to security guard.
• 21:15 . The movie starts at 2 5 .
• 21:35. Skandia’s back door towards Luntmakargatan is discovered to be open.
• 23:05–23:10 . The film ends. The couple remains outside the cinema with their son and his girlfriend. 2 6 . Map Sveavägspromenden .

• 23:15 . The couples separate at the ABF building at Seavägen 41. Palme begins walking south on Sveavägen, on the west side 2 6 . They pass Adolf Fredrik’s Church (with the cemetery where Palme is buried).
• 23:16 approximately. The kiosk owner on Sveavägen  saw the Palmes passing by and noticed a lone man following them about 10 meters behind them. He gave the information to the police the day after the murder. In a group confrontation in 1989, the kiosk owner identified Christer Pettersson as the man who followed the Palmes, but his testimony changed over time and the Court of Appeal considered that a definite conclusion could not be drawn 4 .
• 11:19 PM. Stig Engström leaves the insurance company Skandia Sveavägen 44, after having clocked out and exchanged a few words with the security guard.
• 23:16–23:20 . Sveavägen 39. The Palme couple cross Sveavägen at Adolf Fredriks kyrkogata and walk on the east side. They stop at the shop window of the clothing store Sari and continue, 2 6 . Lisbeth Palme  has said in questioning that she does not remember meeting anyone during the walk from the shop window to the Dekorima corner, but according to a nurse at Sabbatsberg, she said on the night of the murder that they met a man before the shots were fired and then saw a man running from the scene. It is unclear whether it was the same man 5 .
• 23:19. Niccola Fauzzi meets the Palme couple outside Bonnierhuset Sveavägen 56. 10 meters behind him he sees a man in a dark blue jacket following him. At the intersection of Kammakargatan he hears two shots.
• 23:20–23:21 . Stig Engström leaves Skandiahuset . He goes out through the main entrance on Sveavägen, wearing a dark coat, possibly a hat with earflaps, a colorful scarf, glasses and carrying a small bag 1 3 . While walking towards the subway he hears a bang (the shot), but does not realize that it is gunfire 3 . There is uncertainty about exactly how long Engström stayed at the reception and how fast he walked, which means that his arrival at the crime scene may have occurred just before or just after the shot. 
• 23:21:30 . Sveavägen 42. Olof Palme is shot in the back at the intersection of Sveavägen/Tunnelgatan, in front of the Dekorima store. Lisbeth Palme is also shot, but survives 2 6 . The taxi driver DA and a young woman AC  in a car just south of the murder scene gave information indicating that the perpetrator and Olof Palme had some form of contact seconds before the murder, and that the perpetrator walked behind the Palme couple 5 .

After the murder

• 23:21:30. 1) Leif Ljungqvist (“Chevamannen”)  was one of the first witnesses on the scene and made the emergency call. He has said that Stig Engström was not the perpetrator because Engström arrived after the murder 1 . 2) A man called “Sture”  was about 20 meters from the Palme couple when the murder occurred and was one of the first on the scene. However, his testimony has been questioned and changed over time 6 .
• 23:22. According to Engström: He arrives at the scene immediately after the shooting, sees a person lying on the street (Olof Palme), people around, and also sees witness Lars J near the stairs at Tunnelgatan 3. Interaction :  He exchanges a few words with Lisbeth Palme and tries to help.
• At 23:22:20, the registration of an emergency call to the emergency center began. An eyewitness who was sitting in a car on Sveavägen told the switchboard operator that “there is a murder on Sveavägen” and was connected to the police. After waiting in vain for a response from the police for a minute and a half, the witness ended the call.
• At 23:23:40, the switchboard operator at Järfälla Taxi called the emergency services to make sure that an ambulance had been called, in a call that lasted until 23:24:20. She had previously received a call from one of the company’s taxi drivers who had witnessed the murder and who had asked the taxi switchboard to call the police. The switchboard operator reported that someone had been shot at the Sveavägen/Tunnelgatan intersection, and the emergency services then asked the switchboard operator to contact the taxi driver and ask him to stay at the scene until the police arrived. She did so and then called the emergency services.
  Tunnelgatan  is alleged to have been the murderer’s escape route.
• 23:23:40
  An ambulance is called to the scene. Police arrive and begin resuscitation attempts 6 . According to Engström: He tries to run after the police patrol into Tunnelgatan to report the perpetrator’s clothing, but does not have time to catch up with them 3 . He returns to the crime scene where the ambulance has now arrived 3 . No one else testifies that they saw Engström at the scene during the first few minutes
• At 23:24 the first police patrol arrived at the scene in a police car. A second taxi driver from Järfälla Taxi, who had heard his colleague’s alarm call and was on  Kungsgatan  about a hundred meters from the intersection between  Kungsgatan  and Sveavägen, alerted a nearby police patrol to the incident. The police patrol immediately went to the scene of the murder and heard the communications center’s alarm during the journey. In the car was Inspector Gösta Söderström, who took command of the crime scene.
• At 23:24:40, an operator at the alarm center called the police communications center. He got in touch with a radio operator and asked him if the communications center was aware of an alarm about gunfire on Sveavägen. The radio operator stated that the communications center was not aware of any such alarm. The call continued until 23:25:10.
• 23:25
  Several police vehicles are on site. Lisbeth Palme identifies herself to the police 6 .
• 23:25:30 was the latest time the police patrol from  Södermalm  may have appeared at the scene, but there is a possibility that it arrived as early as 23:23. The patrol had just passed  Malmskillnadsgatan  at the landing above Tunnelgatan when it received an alarm from the radio operator at the communications center. The patrol arrived at the murder scene after, but at about the same time as, the first police patrol. Inspector Söderström ordered the patrol to take up the pursuit up the stairs but did not give the patrol any description.
• At 23:26:00, the radio operator called back to the alarm center and announced that the police communications center was aware of the alarm. The call continued until 23:26:20.
  A police patrol from  Norrmalm then arrived  at the scene. The patrol was at  Norra Bantorget  and refueling when it was alerted.
• 23:30
  Police command announces that the Prime Minister has been shot 5 .
• 23:40
  Tipster calls TT and tells them that the Prime Minister has been shot 2 5
• 00:06 (March 1)
  Olof Palme is pronounced dead at Sabbatsberg Hospital 2 5 .
• Between 30 and 60 seconds after the police picket from Södermalm, an ambulance from  Sollentuna stopped  at the murder scene. It happened to be there by chance and was not on call.
  
  Then an ambulance arrived directly from  Sabbatsberg Hospital . The ambulance personnel in it went out and helped their ambulance colleagues in the first ambulance.
  At 23:28:00, the ambulance personnel reported to the emergency center that the ambulance with Palme had left the murder scene and was on its way to Sabbatsberg Hospital.
  At 23:31:40, the ambulance personnel reported to the emergency center that the ambulance had arrived at the hospital

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/ By Ingemar Lindmark