Original subtitles

A NEARLY NORMAL FAMILY

No!

Hello?

Hello?

Hello?

I can't breathe. Hello?

Is there anyone there?

Stella?

What you doing?

You can't stay down there.

Come here. Get up.

Oi, oi, oi.

Hey...

It's okay to be nervous, you know.

I'd be nervous before a trial.

I just don't know what to say about it all...

Say what you need to, Stella.

Uh, your lawyer has sent you some clothes to wear today for... for the trial.

I'll come and get you when you're ready, okay.

Hey.

- Hi. - Hi. Something wrong?

- Can we talk inside? - Yeah, sure, come in.

Mikael. Amina Besic will provide new information in her testimony.

Ulrika, what's going on?

Press Amina about Stella...

If... Stella is violent and so on,

And then hand it over to the prosecutor.

But... but... she's merely a character witness.

- What are you after? - I can't say any more now.

You must believe me. You'll find out later.

I promise.

Okay.

Thank you. Thank you.

Uh, we can't carry on like this, I'm afraid. Sorry.

I must focus upon my family, for...

for Stella and for Adam.

Uh... um...

This is just wrong.

We said from the start that it mustn't turn into anything serious.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, we did. It's all right.

If that's what you want...

Mm. I can't anymore.

So... goodbye, Mikael.

Today, sees the beginning of the trial of a young woman

charged for the murder of the entrepreneur, Christoffer Olsen.

The prosecution has called several witnesses for this trial,

But the defence has only summoned two witnesses,

including the defendant's father,

who is her alibi for the night of the murder.

Um...

- I'll go in now, okay? - Mm.

So I'll see you soon.

Okay.

Try to be as specific as you can.

Be clear and don't say anything we haven't discussed.

Do you understand?

- Yeah. - Good.

Good morning. My name is Hannah Lejon,

and I will lead this hearing

and preside over this court.

Now... will the prosecutor present the petition?

It asks that Stella Sandell

Is convicted of murder.

On 7th October,

Stella Sandell intentionally deprived Christoffer Olsen of his life

by inflicting upon him several life-threatening stab wounds.

She then left him bleeding to death and helpless,

dying in agony.

And what is the defendant's position?

Stella Sandell is innocent.

Now we'll begin by questioning Stella Sandell.

Can you please tell the court, In your own words,

about the events for which you are being charged

and anything else you may know?

Where should I begin?

Uh, did you know Christoffer Olsen?

Yes.

Okay. Can you please tell the court what occurred on the night of 7th October?

Well, I was at work, like usual.

Amina and I had decided to meet up afterwards... at Inferno.

So, let's see.

Is that Amina Besic, who is testifying here later?

Mm. But when I got there, she wasn't there.

Uh,

I... I sent her a couple of messages,

but she never answered,

and... I went looking in a couple of other places.

In the end, I went over to Chris's place to see if she was there.

But... but when I got there, the door was locked and, uh, no one answered.

- So... - So, what did you do then?

I, um...

went home.

And then I went to bed.

Thank you.

Prosecution.

Stella, so you claim that you went to Christopher Olsen's home

on the night of 7th October, but nobody let you in?

Yeah.

And then you left?

Mm, that's correct.

Which way did you go?

The way that crosses the, um, parking area.

So, you didn't leave via Tegnérplatsen,

which is behind Christoffer Olsen's block?

Not that I remember, no.

Well, according to our investigations, an imprint was discovered there.

Of a shoe.

Your shoe, Stella.

How could that be, in your opinion?

I don't know. There are... many people who wear those.

Describe your feelings towards Christoffer Olsen.

Well, I liked him.

You liked him...? So, were you in love with him?

I'm not sure.

Is it not the case that you were worried and afraid

that your best friend, Amina Besic,

was also in love with him?

And that those feelings were mutual?

No.

Because you contacted Amina multiple times that evening,

sent a number of text messages.

And you wrote texts like,

"Where are you? Are you with Chris?"

I was anxious when she didn't turn up at Inferno.

She'd never failed before to, uh, turn up.

And then when she didn't show, I got worried.

Yeah, you were actually worried

that your best friend had also begun

- a relationship with Olsen - No.

And that's why you went to his home that night.

- Not out of concern, but out of anger - No.

- And suspicion. - No, it wasn't like that.

Thank you.

No further questions.

Louise Nyman to Courtroom One to give her testimony.

Louise Nyman.

Where were you on the evening of 7th October?

I was at Bar Shotluckan with my friends.

Kerstin Boström.

What is your relationship with the defendant?

Uh... I run Grandma's bakery. Um, I'm Stella's boss there.

How would you describe Stella's state of mind that evening?

Unstable, really.

She just took my phone from me.

She said it was pepper spray,

and that she always carried it when she went out.

Well... she was upset.

- Angry. - Angry as in aggressive?

Yeah. I'd say she was aggressive.

Can you tell the court where you work?

I work in forensics for the police in Lund.

We found a shoe print next to a puddle of water,

one meter away from Christoffer Olsen's body.

You lived next door to Christoffer Olsen,

and you've told us that you saw Stella Sandell.

Uh, yes.

Uh, I saw her on the street below my window.

And then, um,

I heard a loud shriek

from the, uh, car park.

How can you be certain that this particular print

came from the same shoe that Stella Sandell wore?

We know because we examined her shoes,

and found microfibres from one of them at the crime scene.

So it is beyond doubt that that is the shoe

that left the imprint there.

Around what time did this happen?

It was close to midnight.

And those screams, I'll never forget them. They chilled me to the marrow.

That must have been when she stabbed him.

Thank you. No further questions.

Adam Sandell to Courtroom One to give his testimony.

Mr Sandell. Please take a seat.

Adam Sandell,

you will now be asked about the events

that took place on 7th October this year.

As a parent of the defendant,

you are not required to take the oath as a witness,

so you are not testifying under criminal liability.

But, uh, I must remind you that it is ill-advised

to say anything that is untrue here in court.

- Is that understood? - Yeah.

Your witness, Mr Blomberg.

Thank you.

Adam, I know that this is difficult, so I'll try to keep it short.

Would you like to start by telling us what you do for a living?

I'm a priest...

...a priest in the Church of Sweden, and have been for eight years.

Can you tell us a bit about your relationship with Stella?

Stella...

is my whole world.

How, um... how are things at home?

It's been... good at times.

But not always.

Nothing's as hard as being a parent.

Could you tell us what you remember

from the evening of 7th October?

I was home.

Uh, Stella was going...

she was going out with her friend Amina.

My wife, um...

she was working late.

I couldn't sleep. I'm always a bit worried when Stella goes out.

But I must've nodded off 'cause I woke when she came home.

Um, what time was that?

11:55.

11:55 p.m.?

- You're sure of that? - I'm certain.

I checked the time when I heard her come home.

Thank you.

Prosecution.

You are certain Stella came home at 11:55 p.m.

because you checked the time the moment she got back.

Is that correct?

I see that you're nodding,

so I take that as a yes.

Yeah, yeah. That's right.

During the investigation,

we managed to recover several text messages from your phone

that were sent that evening.

SMS messages that you... deleted.

And from the transcripts,

we see one was sent at 12:02 a.m.

"When will you be home?"

And another one at 12:23 a.m.

"Can you please answer?"

It seems very strange to me

that you would have sent her text messages after Stella came home.

Yeah, well I don't know if I think it's all that strange.

No? In what sense?

Uh, it's happened to me and... and others, too, so I've heard...

that... every now and then, when I've tried to send a text,

the message hasn't gone,

Well not straight away. There are delays sometimes.

So, you're saying that these text messages

that you sent at 12:02 and 12:23

were sent earlier that evening but just not delivered till later?

That's right.

You know that every now and again the network can fail, don't you?

So, network failure, then?

Mm.

Well, we've heard the defence portray you

as an upstanding member of the community,

a committed priest,

and a devoted father.

But the fact is

that you've consistently obstructed this investigation,

isn't that so?

You have tried to harass me.

You have tried to shift our suspicion onto someone other than your daughter.

I have only tried to make sure that...

we're doing all we can... to get to the truth.

So, "all that you can,"

does that include getting rid of incriminating evidence?

I don't know what you mean by that.

Clothes that Stella wore that evening,

according to witnesses,

blue jeans, grey hoodie.

We haven't been able to find them.

Nor have we been able to find Stella's phone. How do you explain that?

Well, I know nothing about that. I can't.

Ahem. Thank you. No further questions.

Thank you, Adam.

The court will now adjourn for today.

We will reconvene tomorrow at 9:00 a.m.

It was my birthday yesterday.

Oh, I'm sorry, Adam.

I completely forgot.

And me.

I remembered just now.

Another year has passed.

We might know the verdict

this time tomorrow.

Then it's over.

Mm.

Chris!

Chris, hello!

So...

Good morning.

This brings us to... the final witness of this trial.

Amina Besic to Courtroom One to give her testimony.

Hello, Amina.

Uh, you can sit there. Thank you.

You will now take the oath of testimony by repeating after me...

"I, Amina Besic..."

I, Amina Besic...

"...do solemnly swear upon my conscience..."

...do solemnly swear upon my conscience...

"...to tell the whole truth. I will not withhold..."

...to tell the whole truth. I will not withhold...

"...embellish, nor amend anything."

Embellish, nor amend anything.

- I hand over to the defence. - Thank you.

Amina Besic, can you tell us about your relationship with Stella?

Uh... Stella, um, she is my best friend.

We were in the same class since year nine.

Also, we played handball together at school.

What's your relationship like now?

She's still my best friend.

How would you describe Stella as a person?

There's no one like her.

She is

strong.

Stubborn.

And she will stand up for her beliefs.

And have you ever known Stella to be... violent?

No.

No.

Do you think she could have murdered Christoffer Olsen?

Absolutely not.

No.

Thank you.

Prosecution.

Amina, uh, how well did you know Christoffer Olsen?

Not very well at all.

Were you... attracted to him?

No, not at all.

Mm. Eh, we've gone through your...

And, uh, and that night I told him I wasn't.

Uh, that night? Um...

Do you mean the night of the murder?

Yes.

Uh, so you... so you saw Christoffer Olsen

on the... same night he was murdered?

Yeah.

It's just...

in your police interview,

you stated that you went straight home from the bar that night.

It is not true.

GOT HERE EARLY WAITING BY THE BAR

Hi.

- What...? - You okay?

Um, yeah.

- Waiting for Stella, huh? - Mm.

She said you were going out, but didn't know it was here.

Coincidence.

Well, actually, Lund's not that big really.

Sadly...

Do you not like me?

Well, it's not surprising.

You and Stella are best friends, and... I've come between you.

You haven't come between us.

You know that the first night we met at, uh... Mejeriet?

You were the one I was interested in.

So I do worry that I... picked the wrong friend.

Trust me.

Don't bother worrying about it.

Look, uh, sorry.

That was, uh... wrong, what I said just now.

I was nervous, and I get the feeling that you dislike me.

So, uh...

uh... so forgive me?

It was a stupid thing to say.

I'm sorry.

Um... I brought a... peace pipe.

Cheers.

I'm sorry...

You okay? Hey, Amina!

Amina.

Are you okay?

What?

- Hey, are you okay? Come here. - No.

Come. I'll drive you home.

- No, I'm all right. - No. Don't be silly.

Here.

No...

Don't...

WHERE ARE YOU? ARE YOU WITH CHRIS?

(GOT A HEADACHE I WENT HOME, BUT I'M OKAY:)

Stella...

S... so, you got in the car

with Christoffer Olsen, and went to his place?

Yeah.

Okay, and what happened there?

He raped me.

I'm sorry?

Christoffer Olsen... drugged and raped me.

Why haven't you said this till now?

Would you like to take a break, Amina?

No.

Didn't think anyone would believe me if I told the truth.

I know that Chris's ex, Linda Levander, tried to report him for the same thing.

No one believed her.

I feel like

I must speak out.

Stella was raped years ago,

at a handball camp.

Her parents said there was no point reporting it.

Because she would be... questioned and blamed.

And... the man who did it would likely be found not guilty.

So, you... you're saying that Christoffer Olsen

raped you in his flat on the night of October 7th?

Yeah.

And what did you do then?

When it was done, um,

well, I ran out of his flat and... went home.

As I... fled from his living room, I...

Knocked over a vase...

that was on a chest of drawers in the hallway.

It shattered.

The next morning, I heard he

was dead.

Amina, you've stated that Stella is your best friend, right?

- Mm. - So...

How are we to know that this not a fabrication

so that you can shift focus from Stella to the alleged actions of a dead man?

A man who has no means of defending himself.

How are we supposed to believe

that you were even in Christoffer Olsen's flat that evening

when you've continuously said that you went home?

I was there.

Christoffer Olsen drugged and raped me.

Thank you. That will be all.

Thank you, Amina.

Now we will now briefly adjourn

before hearing your closing statements.

If there are two potential suspects at the scene of a murder,

the prosecutor must be able to prove

which one of them committed the murder or that the two suspects acted together.

If you inform the police now,

then they will do all that they can to get you both convicted.

So, if this is going to work, you have to wait for the trial.

It has to come as a surprise to the prosecution.

You understand?

I introduce the possibility of an alternative culprit.

Exactly.

So, you knew?

All along?

Yeah.

So, why didn't you tell me?

So you wouldn't have to lie, Adam.

So, you know what happened that night, then?

You know how he died?

Yeah.

Do you even want to know?

No.

Proceedings now resume in Courtroom One.

Okay.

Well, that brings us to the closing statements.

So the prosecution may now proceed.

LUND DISTRICT COURT

My understanding is that the indictment is sound

and that Stella Sandell should be convicted

for the murder of Christoffer Olsen,

and sentenced according to the severity of the crime.

Based on the evidence presented, it has been proven

that all the stab wounds inflicted on Christoffer Olsen were fatal.

And the presence of Stella Sandell's shoe imprint

proves that she was present at the crime scene

around the time of the murder.

Christoffer Olsen had traces of pepper spray in his eyes.

When Stella was apprehended, she had a can of pepper spray.

Stella Sandell had motive.

She was jealous that Christoffer Olsen had begun a relationship

with her best friend, Amina Besic.

The testimony provided to the court by Amina Besic

can be seen as an ex post facto fabrication,

and should therefore be disregarded.

In conclusion, the evidence of the defence

does not negate in any way evidence that I have submitted.

Stella Sandell committed murder

and should be sentenced to 18 years in prison.

Thank you.

Proceed, Mr Blomberg.

The only thing the prosecution has proved in this hearing

is that my client was in the vicinity of Mr Olsen's home

on the night in question.

On the other hand,

this process has determined

that Amina Besic was also at the crime scene that night.

So, both Amina Besic and Stella Sandell could have been close to the scene

when Christoffer Olsen died.

The prosecution has neither a murder weapon

or physical evidence

proving that the murder happened in the manner they have claimed.

Thus, it is by no means proven beyond reasonable doubt

that my client is responsible for the death of Christopher Olsen.

The only option is to dismiss the case and acquit Stella Sandell.

Thank you.

Then this, uh, hearing is now concluded.

We now will remain in this room while we consider all of the evidence.

I kindly ask you all to wait outside while we deliberate.

Lie still, I said.

Stop it!

Stay there.

Stay there.

Lie back.

Not so up yourself now, are you?

Huh? Not so up yourself now, are you?

Look at me.

Look at me!

Fuck!

Come here!

ANALYSIS: ALL EVIDENCE SUGGESTS THAT THE 19-YEAR-OLD IS GUILTY

Verdict to be delivered in Courtroom One.

This court has deliberated

and will now deliver its verdict.

The evidence of the defence,

supported by the testimony of Amina Besic,

demonstrates that it is not proven beyond reasonable doubt

that Stella Sandell acted in the manner alleged by the prosecution.

We the court rule

that in the charge against Stella Sandell

that she is not guilty of murder.

Oh, thank God.

She is to be released immediately.

Oh!

You're free. It's over.

Oh...

Adam?

- I thought it was you. - Hey!

- Hi. Hey! - Hey.

Lovely.

So, how have you been?

Yeah. I'm good.

I came to say hi, and to hand in my laptop

and tie up some loose ends and bits before I go.

It seems it's even harder to take the collar off

than it is to put it on.

Well, it is rather... unusual for someone to leave the church.

- I'm not leaving the church. - Mm.

But I can no longer be a priest, Siri.

At least, not right now.

Oh, you'll be such a great loss, Adam.

Thank you.

- Stay for a cup of coffee? - Yeah, love to.

- Mm? - If you can make me a fresh one.

- Oh, of course. - Can't do instant.

God, grant me the serenity

to accept the things I cannot change,

courage to change the things I can,

and wisdom to know the difference.

- Bye, then. - See you.

- Take care. - See you.

Yeah, I'll see you next time.

- Hey. - Hi.

- How did it go? - Good.

No, you don't!

Come here!

Come here!

Stella!

Stella, come on!

Stella!

You fucking whore!