Nils Gustafsson

Nils Gustafsson (born 1942) is the sole survivor of the Lake Bodom murders in Finland in 1960. Gustafsson is a bus driver and lived a relatively normal life afterwards until 2004 when he was arrested suspected for the murders.

In late March 2004, almost 44 years after the event, Nils Gustafsson was arrested by the police on the suspicion that he was the murderer. In early 2005, the Finnish National Bureau of Investigation (KRP) declared the case was solved based on some new analysis on the blood stains and above all, the new technique DNA that was not known about 50 years ago. According to the statement of the investigating police, Nils Gustafsson, the survivor, had had an outburst of jealousy involving feelings for one of the other teenagers, Irmeli Björklund, who was his newfound girlfriend. Irmeli was stabbed fifteen times after the fatal blow, while the two other teenagers were killed less savagely. Gustafsson's own injuries, while notable, were less severe.

The trial started on August 4 2005. The prosecution was calling for a life sentence against Nils Gustafsson on three counts of murder. They argued that the re-examination of the old evidence using modern techniques such as DNA profiling points to Gustafsson. The defence argued that the killings were the work of one or more outsiders and that Gustafsson suffered similar injuries to those sustained by the other three, and because of the injuries, he would have been incapable of killing three people. Gustafsson had - allegedly - admitted to a policeman, during the time he was arrested, that he did the murders, by saying "What's done is done, I'll get 15 years." However, the court dismissed this and voices of false perjure were raised. It undoubtly seems odd, that an investigating criminal officer 18 months afterwards steps out and testifies that the accused has privately confessed the murders -never did he mention this to anyone at the time of the trial, nor did he come back to the issue later on, after he was heard as a surprise testifier.

On October 7 2005 Gustafsson was freed of all charges. He was admitted 44.900 euros as damages for his time in prison as innocent.