A few minutes ago, Christine Schürrer was convicted and sentenced to life in prison for murdering almost 4-year-old Max Jangestig and his not yet 2-year-old sister Saga by Svea Hovrätt. I think most people in Sweden react with a collective sigh of relief.

It has been a difficult case with a large amount of circumstantial, but no hard, evidence. Apart from the long list of weird "coincidences" addressed by the prosecutor, I think the main reason for Schürrer's conviction has indeed been her own actions before the murders, her failure to account for her reasons for being in Arboga and her failure to produce "friends" who could verify her stories. Furthermore, she has shown no compassion for Max and Saga's mother (whom she almost succeeded in killing as well) or the children's father. She has whispered with her lawyers and laughed repeatedly during the trial and, although she has not been defined as mentally ill, her defence (which she decided to conduct on her own) has been regarded less than lucid, if not outright irrelevant. This is what probably has condemned her the most in the eyes of the public.

The sentencing of Schürrer does not make Max and Saga come back, but I still hope it brings some kind of closure for their parents and loved ones. They will be remembered...

Images from here and here (Expressen Västerås).