In November 2020, 25-year-old Ziad was shot dead in central Borås. Just over two years later, in December 2022, Alex is in custody in Borås. Next to him sits Ziad's suspected killer. They make contact and suddenly the suspected killer starts talking.
"He confessed to the murder to me. How it had happened and how many times they had shot the person.
Becomes a crown witness
After Alex tells the police about what he's heard, he gets an offer he takes advantage of. He then becomes one of the first crown witnesses in a murder case in Sweden and can receive lighter sentences for his own crimes if he testifies. This is with the help of the new law that came into force in July 2022, which means that a person can receive a reduction in punishment if he or she testifies against others.
In the middle of the interview with SVT, Alex receives threatening messages from people who do not want him to testify - start the clip above to see the full interview.
The district court decides
Alex is suspected of several crimes, but no violent crimes. The prosecutor who will bring him to justice, Ove Jäverfelt, says that there is an agreement with Alex that he is a crown witness and if the prosecutor in the murder case considers the information he provides in the murder trial to be good, Alex can get sentence relief.
"But it is the district court that decides, and I have explained that to him," says Ove Jäverfelt.
It is only after Alex testifies and when the investigation against him is complete that prosecutor Ove Jäverfelt will write a proposal in the lawsuit about the penalty value for Alex's suspected crime, as well as the lower penalty value after Alex's testimony in the murder charge.
Alex lives today with protected identity and his name and voice have therefore been anonymized. The murder suspect denies any wrongdoing. He also denies what the Crown witness says.