On december 20, 1970. Christer is on the run from Ulleråker Hospital, a psychiatric facility in Uppsala, and is going to Stockholm, among other places, to visit his family for Christmas. Christer has bought a bayonet from a - junkie buddy just to help him out - on Sergels torg and toys for his sisters that he carries in a bag, he also has a bag of beer bought at Martin Olsson.
Christer meets two drunk young boys at the intersection of Sveavägen and Kungsgatan, he bumps into one of them and things get tense. Christer puts down his bags and a fight ensues. One of the boys gets hold of Christer, but he tears himself free and throws the boy into one of the shop windows at Ström's men's shop.
The boys realize that they are messing with the wrong person and back off, but one of the boys takes the opportunity to get a point by kicking Christer's bag and out flies the bayonet and toys he bought. Christer snaps, he picks up the bayonet and chases the boy into a doorway on Kungsgatan where he stabs him with the bayonet and the boy dies.
After the attack, Christer flees into Tunnelgatan and through the tunnel.
He is later arrested and sentenced on June 18, 1971 to closed psychiatric care for manslaughter.
On April 9, 1986, Sture D, an employee at the Forensic Psychiatric Clinic at Huddinge Hospital, provided information that Christer Pettersson was very similar to the Shadow Image.
Police inspector Solveig H at the Criminal Police receives the tip and writes
Sture D states that christer Pettersson is called "The Bayonet Man" is very similar to the shadow. Pettersson sat on RPK(Forensic Psychiatric Clinic) for the last time 10 years ago. He had stabbed someone with a bayonet. Pettersson is about 40 years old.
On April 11, 1986, a letter was received from Lars-Åke L, inmate at the prison Hall, according to which Christer Pettersson looks very similar to the of the shadow image, The letter was postmarked on April 9, 1986 and addressed to Hans Holmér.
To / Hans Holmér
At the moment I am incarcerated at the prison Hall, and have also been an inmate at the prison Kumla. During the time I sat at Kumla there was a guy from Stockholm named Christer Pettersson who is almost a copy of the picture of Olof Palme's murderer. I can't remember what year it was, but it's in the eighties, maybe 1984! Hope this can be of interest to Holmér. Maybe it will be a hit for you! Good luck!
On April 22, Interrogator: I-L Hermansson
Ongoing no. 4248_1 section M
During a telephone conversation with the prison administration at Kumla, P. Fransson stated that in 1983, an individual named Christer Pettersson was incarcerated at the institution. This Pettersson, personal identity number 470423-XXXX, was "inside" for attempted murder and was, according to Fransson, completely insane!
On 20 May 1986 at 11:15 a.m. Interrogators: Lennart P and Anders L M:4248-3/KD:10405-B
Regarding red number: 697 concerning a Christer Pettersson
On Monday, May 26, 1986, at 11:15 a.m., Christer was visited at his home by Detective Inspectors Lennart P and Anders L. The following emerged:
On the night of the murder, Christer was in Stockholm city. He visited the "club" on Oxtorgsgatan – 2 floors underground – called BK OXEN. There he met, among others, a "guy" named Sigvard C – a known ruffian. Sigvard C resides at Tegnérgatan 16.
Christer arrived at the club around 7:00 p.m. and departed from there just after 10:00 p.m. when he went to Centralen and took the "commuter train" home to Rotebro. Christer arrived home around 11:30 p.m. and went to bed almost immediately. In the morning, when he woke up around 8:00 a.m., he went to get the newspaper – DN – and then learned about the murder. Since Christer is a "true friend" of Olof Palme, he sat down at the kitchen table and cried.
On April 23, 1987, at 1:10 p.m., an investigator named Hans H called Christer to check an alibi. Ulf S, a friend of Christer’s, had told the police—when asked what he was doing the night of the murder—that he was at Christer’s place.
Entry No. D 44
Ulf S, the one pointed out in the tip-off, has stated Pettersson as an alibi for his activities on February 28, 1986.
Pettersson was contacted today, April 23, 1987 at 1:10 p.m. by telephone and I told him that a person had stated that he had been at home in his apartment on February 28, 1986.
Pettersson then replied spontaneously: It was Ulf S - he came to me at 7 - 8 p.m. before I went into town and was allowed to stay in the apartment when I left
Ulf S stayed because he hoped I would get him some amphetamines in town, but I couldn't get any.
When I got back to the apartment at 11.30 p.m., he was lying on the floor and slept off the high.
Ulf s stayed for a while before he went home - don't know exactly what time it was then.
I have previously been questioned by the police in the Palme murder together with Sigge C regarding my activities on the night of the murder - you must have papers for it with you, there were four police officers here in May 1986.
This information is correct - copies in case M:4248 are attached.
/ HH
On November 16, 1988, the Palme group applied to the district court for permission to tap Christer P's telephone. The grounds for the application were summarized as follows:
Finally, Christer P.'s acquaintance with the "bomber," i.e., Lars T., was noted.
The application was granted, and Christer P's telephone was tapped from this day until his arrest, i.e., from November 16 to December 14.
On December 14, 1988, just before 9:00 a.m., Christer Pettersson was picked up at Kung Hans 35 2tr in Rotebro by Detective Thure N and Tommy A and driven to the National Criminal Investigation Department's section A-2's premises, Kungsholmsgatan 37, Stockholm
At 8:56 a.m. in the morning on December 14, 1988, Christer Pettersson was arrested at his residence at Kung Hans väg 35 A in Rotebro.
The newspaper Expressen has been tipped and is already at the address when the police arrive.
On December 14, 1988, at 09:25 a.m., Christer Pettersson was served with a notification of suspicion of the murder of Olof Palme and the attempted murder of the Prime Minister's wife, Lisbeth Palme. The acts took place at the intersection of Sveavägen/Tunnelgatan in the municipality of Stockholm on February 28, 1986, at 11:21 p.m.
The video confrontation with Lisbeth Palme was held at the Prosecutor General's office at Storkyrkobrinken 7 in the Old Town, just a stone's throw from her residence. Prior to the confrontation, Lisbeth Palme was informed that a suspect — described as an alcoholic from Rotebro — had been taken into custody.
The video confrontation was not documented at the time. It was only in connection with an interrogation of Lisbeth Palme on January 26, 1989, that the following memorandum was written:
| Date of memo: 1989-01-26 |
Memorandum of Confrontation with Lisbeth Palme – 1988-12-14 Time: 6:00 p.m. at the Office of the Prosecutor-General.
Present at the confrontation were department heads Jörgen Almblad and Solveig Riberdahl.
A videotape, no. OP 533, was shown to Lisbeth Palme.
After viewing the initial images, in which all participants in the confrontation are lined up, Lisbeth Palme remarked: "You can tell who’s an alcoholic. It’s number eight." She continued: "But it’s not just that."
After watching the entire videotape, Lisbeth Palme stated: "Yes, it’s number eight. He matches my description—his facial shape, eyes, and his horrible appearance." She added that numbers 9 and 11 also had features that matched her description, but not to the same extent as number 8, and they did not have number 8’s horrible appearance
After a break, Lisbeth Palme was shown the sequence with number 8 once again. Her assessment remained unchanged.
Thereafter, Lisbeth Palme had some questions regarding number 8, and these questions were posed on the assumption that number 8 was the perpetrator. She pointed out, among other things, that according to her recollection, the perpetrator did not have a moustache.
| Jörgen Almblad | Solveig Riberdah |