Prosecutors begin preliminary investigation into the unlikely killer

In the Netflix series The Improbable Killer, the so-called Skandiaman, Stig Engström, is portrayed as guilty of the murder of Olof Palme.

Relatives of Engström have been critical of that portrayal and reported in the autumn series for defamation of the deceased.

Chamber prosecutor Zilla Hirsch now chooses to proceed with the reports and initiate a preliminary investigation to investigate whether it may be a matter of slandering the deceased.

- There are several people who report that the series points out a person with a name such as the one who would have murdered Olof Palme.

And on that information, I mean that there is reason to assume that it may be slander of the deceased, says chamber prosecutor Zilla Hirsch.

Ex-wife: "What happened is a defamation"

Stig Engström's ex-wife, who is one of those who publicly criticized the series, views the prosecutor's decision positively.

- I think that is the prosecutor's duty.

I see it as positive and hope that it will be something of it.

What has happened is libel, I think, and many with me.

I stand for that, says Stig Engström's ex-wife to Kulturnyheterna.

Two other reports of the series concern the man who in the media has been called the weapon collector.

His daughter, Ulrika Glaser Rydberg, reported the series for defamation of the deceased earlier this autumn.

Rydberg believes that her father is portrayed as an adult bully and she believes that he is portrayed in an unfavorable way.

In the case of the weapons collector, the prosecutor chooses not to initiate a preliminary investigation.

Her assessment is that no concrete information is provided about the man, but rather about value judgments, and that the man based on how he is described in the series can not be identified. 

"Fantastic if Stig could get redress"

Ulrika Glaser Rydberg is disappointed that her report does not lead to a preliminary investigation, but is positive that the issue of libel regarding Stig Engström is being investigated.

- I can not add much more except that I keep my fingers crossed, and it would be fantastic if Stig could get some redress, says Ulrika Glaser Rydberg.

Unclear position of responsibility

If the preliminary investigation were to lead to prosecution, it is not clear today where the responsibility would end up.

- In Sweden, when it comes to criminal cases, only individuals can commit crimes.

In situations where something has happened within the framework of a company's operations, the preliminary investigation must also clarify who is responsible for what is being investigated, which could be a crime, says chamber prosecutor Zilla Hirsch.

Netflix writes to Kulturnyheterna that they can not comment on an ongoing matter.

But has previously stated the following about the reports:

“Dramatizing a theory linked to one of Sweden's biggest national traumas is challenging - and we have respect for the fact that the image painted by some of the characters is not shared by all.

The series is inspired by an already existing story, the book "The unlikely killer: The Skandiaman and the murder of Olof Palme" by Thomas Pettersson and does not claim to present a solution to the case - something that is also clarified in connection with each episode. "