The man in his 60s and the woman in her 50s who were charged with the murder of a man in a village outside Pajala were sentenced to long prison terms by Haparanda District Court.
The man was sentenced to 15 years in prison and the woman to 8 years.
The defense saw the murder
At the beginning of July, the case was taken up in the Court of Appeal and after the negotiations, the man and the woman were released on bail - an indication of a different outcome.
- A clear indication that my client will not be convicted of murder or arson, the man's defense lawyer Frida Larsson told SVT then.
The woman's lawyer, Marko Tuhkanen, was tough in his criticism of the initial verdict and gave that assessment: "The absolute worst evidence in a murder case I have witnessed where there has been a conviction".
Freed from murder and arson
But the Court of Appeal changes the district court's ruling and follows the line of defense.
The man, who was convicted of murder and arson, and the woman, who was convicted of aiding and abetting murder and arson, are acquitted of those charges.
The man, however, receives a suspended sentence for a gun crime.
Found in burnt out car
It was on June 29, summer 2021, that a man was found dead in a village outside Pajala.
The man was suspected of forcibly causing the victim to lose consciousness and then move the body, with the help of the woman, to a car which was then lit.