That women murder women is in itself unusual – here, moreover, there are two women who are suspected of having acted together, and they are significantly younger than usual, says Jenny Yourstone, PhD in psychology at Södertörn University.
– The way they have handled the body after her death is also extremely unusual, as they transport the body and even go back to the scene to try to hide the crime. Even if it does happen, it is mainly men who do so. Women are much more likely to report the crime themselves and raise the alarm – and then the victim is usually a man, says Yourstone.
This is not a one-off event
Deadly violence can happen on impulse or be preceded by some planning, and Yourstone sees several things that indicate this is not a one-off incident that went off the rails.
She highlights, among other things, searches found in the 20-year-old’s computer that can be interpreted as some planning – but also that the woman is also charged with setting fire to the facade of Tove’s father’s house in January 2022, where Tove lived at the time.
– Based on that, it cannot be ruled out that there could be a mental preparation to do something. Not that you know when it should be done, but that there is a mental preparation that means that you also carry out the crime.
Unclear motive
The prosecutor has not found any clear motive, other than to point out that the 20-year-old and Tove had a conflict-filled relationship. Generally when women kill women there is often jealousy around a man in the background, says Jenny Yourstone.
– We have several such examples in Sweden, so it may be that it is included in some sense here, and it may lie further back in time. Another possible reason could be some kind of conflict about what social status one has in the group.
Both women denies the criminal classification of murderbut admits that they transported the body out to the forest.
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