Authors: Hannes Råstam
Thomas Quick (58 page)
At twenty-five to eight he was back in his room, where he showered and then drank the second cup of coffee of the day in the company of
Dagens Nyheter
.
He noted in his calendar that he had completed his two thousand, three hundred and fifty-sixth day in a row. It was the only entry he made that day, despite having agreed to meet another human being for the first time in seven years.
After this he immersed himself for a few hours in ‘Crossword Fun’ in the magazine
Bra Korsord
(‘Good Crosswords’) until he ground to a halt on a difficult clue. He had a few letters pinned down and was unsure about the rest until he finally gave up.
It was a strange coincidence that he had seen the journalist’s SVT documentary on the Falun pyromaniac: nine children and young people who had confessed to starting several fires even though they
were innocent. There was something in the tone of it that had appealed to him. The subject of the reportage, false confessions, had also given him a vague sense of hope. But no more than that. He wasn’t particularly thinking about it.
On Ward 36, the care assistants knew that Sture was having a visitor in the afternoon. They had spoken among themselves and agreed that it had to mean Sture had made a decision and that something had changed. Why else would he break his silence now?
As Sture came out to fetch his lunch, one of the old-timer nurses from Ward 36 came up to him, took him gently by the arm and said to him in a confiding voice, almost whispering, ‘Sture, you’re having a visitor today?’
‘Yes,’ confirmed Sture.
‘Are you going on with the criminal investigations?’ said the nurse optimistically.
Sture hummed by way of an answer, a vaguely communicative hum that could mean almost anything.
So that’s what they think. That’s what the staff are saying
, he thought.
He would go to his meeting without expectation or anxiety.
Maybe some sort of possibility would appear
,
he thought, but he pushed this away as soon as it occurred to him.
Ten minutes before the appointment, two care assistants came to Sture’s room and said it was time to go.
CHRONOLOGY OF STURE BERGWALL/THOMAS QUICK
1969 | Sture molests four young boys |
1970 | Sentenced to closed psychiatric care, admitted to Sidsjön Hospital |
1971 | Studies for a year at Jokkmokk Folk High School |
1972 | Back to Sidsjön Hospital |
1973 | Moves to Säter Trial release |
1974 | Stabs a man in Uppsala, back to Säter |
1976 | Charles Zelmanovits disappears in Piteå |
1977 | Discharged from Säter Death of father |
1980 | Johan Asplund disappears |
1981 | Trine Jensen murdered |
1982 | Opens a tobacconist’s with his brother Sten-Ove |
1983 | Death of mother Begins contact with Patrik Olofsson |
1984 | Murders in Appojaure |
1985 | Gry Storvik murdered |
1986 | Closure of tobacconist’s kiosk Opens a new kiosk with Patrik Olofsson’s mother |
1987 | Obtains driving licence Moves to Falun, then to Grycksbo |
1988 | Yenon Levi murdered Therese Johannesen disappears |
1989 | Two Somali boys go missing from refugee centre in Oslo |
1990 | Moves to Falun Robs a bank |
1991 | Convicted of aggravated robbery and theft Admitted to Säter Starts therapy with Kjell Persson |
1992 | Plans move into own flat Change of name to Thomas Quick Goes with Kjell Persson to Bosvedjan |
1993 | First meeting with Birgitta Ståhle Confesses to murder of Johan Asplund Reconnaissance of the crime scene Remains of Charles Zelmanovits found Kjell Persson requests leave of absence Göran Fransson hands in his notice |
1994 | Confesses to murder of Charles Zelmanovits Admitted to forensic psychiatric clinic in Växjö for a few weeks Birgitta Ståhle takes over the therapy at Säter First meeting with Sven Åke Christianson Reconnaissance in Piteå Convicted of the murder of Charles Zelmanovits Confesses to murders in Appojaure Establishment of the Quick Commission |
1995 | Reconnaisance in Appojaure Reconnaissance in Messaure Changes lawyer to Claes Borgström Confesses to murder of Levi |
1996 | Convicted of murders in Appojaure Confesses to murder of Therese Johannesen Reconnaissances in Drammen, Ørje Forest and Lindesberg Confesses to murder of Trine Jensen |
1997 | Convicted of the murder of Yenon Levi Reconnaissance in Ørje Forest to point out burial sites |
1998 | Quick feud begins Convicted of the murder of Therese Johannesen |
1999 | Reconnaisance for Trine Jensen murder |
2000 | Convicted of the murders of Trine Jensen and Gry Storvik |
2001 | Convicted of the murder of Johan Asplund Thomas Quick takes time out |
2002 | Takes back the name of Sture Bergwall Ends his therapy with Birgitta Ståhle |
2008 | Meets Hannes Råstam for the first time Thomas Olsson accepts the case |
2009 | Retrial approved for the murder of Yenon Levi |
2010 | Charges dropped for the murder of Yenon Levi Retrial approved for the murder of Therese Johannesen |
2011 | Charges dropped for the murder of Therese Johannesen |
2012 | Retrial approved for the murder of Johan Asplund Charges dropped for the murder of Johan Asplund Retrial approved for the murders of Trine Jensen and Gry Storvik Charges dropped for the murders of Trine Jensen and Gry Storvik |
2013 | Retrial approved for the murder of Charles Zelmanovits Retrial approved for the murders in Appojaure Charges dropped for the murders in Appojaure |
